Kill the DARKNESS
by Starlight's Poet
Summary: The Gate affected Hei's power at the last second. Now, he's in a world where there are no Contractors. Forced to survive in a new world with Suo, the two encounter Tatsumi, and later, the assassination group, Night Raid. With a corrupt Empire standing before him, will Hei return to his world? Or will he show them the terror of the Contractor known as the Black Reaper?
1. Chapter 1

"Victory is reserved for those who are willing to pay it's price." -Sun Tzu, the Art of War

* * *

 **Kill the DARKNESS - The Black Reaper**

 _Episode 1: A Gemini's New Streak, A Path Left Untraveled_

Hell's Gate. That was the name of the unnatural phenomena that had suddenly appeared in Tokyo, just as suddenly as the Heaven's Gate had, only ten years prior. Many brilliant minds from around the world gathered to unravel it's mysteries, yet few knew that some secrets were better left unsaid. No one had even gotten so far into the Gate, not since the Contractor known as BK-201 had done so only a few years ago.

It was ironic that same Contractor would be standing here once again.

BK-201. Black Reaper. Hei. Those were all the names the Contractor went by. He stood alone in a vast, cosmic world around him was nothing but golden clouds. Even beneath his feet were swirling masses of white pristine, possessing a golden radiance. Above him was a sky filled with stars. Unlike the sky of his world, however, this was the true starry-night sky; the one with the real stars, for the day Heaven's Gate appeared, the sky had been replaced with false ones, each light representing the life of a Contractor. He was no exception to that.

His star was shining brightly, while his hand rested around the throat of a young girl. She looked to be quite young, her skin pale, and her beautiful purple eyes vacant. Strangely, her hair, which should have been light silver, had become a flowing, wavy blue, and her attire was nothing but a tight-skinned black suit. Her face was oddly at peace, serene and calm as if a hand was not ready to snuff her life out. A blue light was dancing around the feared Black Reaper, as his own cold blue eyes gazed into her own. "...are you sure about this?" he asked. Contractors, while still retaining their emotions, had a completely different thought process. They acted for self-preservation; they always chose what seemed logical in their situation, and would always choose the path that would benefit them.

Despite that fact, there was no mistaking the emotion in Hei's voice.

It held traces of anger, regret, spite, but most of all...sorrow.

"...I am..."

He closed his eyes. Outside, he looked to be deathly calm, perfect for his moniker as the Contractor shrouded in death... but inside, his heart was left in a shredded bunch of emotions. It took every fiber of his being not to let his inner turmoil control him. This had to be done. No matter how miserable it made him. That didn't mean he had to like it. He wished it didn't have to be like this... but he had no choice. There was no other way. If he left her like this... she would become a monster, a killer worse than a Contractor. He didn't wish for her to suffer such a cruel fate. Yet, somehow, death was the only option for her release... it was like God was giving him a cruel irony. Slowly, he opened his eyes. They were slightly blurry, refusing to allow any tears to fall from his face. "...I'm sorry." he apologized, his hand shaking slightly. It was taking everything possible for him to keep his voice steady as it was.

Yin, however, smiled softly as her attire changed to white. Her hand brushed against his. "It'll be okay..." she said soothingly. "I know it will."

"Yeah..." He didn't know what to say..,he didn't want to say goodbye...

It was hard for him to do this. They had been together since the day he joined the Syndicate, and they had been through so much, and lost so much along the way.

 _'Suo...'_

The red-haired girl was asleep, her mind fractured. Even if she were to still remain, she would simply be a Doll, a body without emotion. She was something of a spitfire, and even though she was now a Contractor, she was still a girl who had been living a lie. She wasn't even the real Suo Palvichenko, she was a Doll made in her image.

In spite of that, she still made an impact on him. He had given him another purpose. Another reason to fight. Another reason to live.

It was because she had given him this reason... that he had to do this.

He... had to... kill Yin...

His bit his lower lip, hard enough to draw blood. He forced himself to steady his hand. He tightened his grip, if only slightly. His pupils burned red, and the blue light danced around him.

And then... the world around him became engulfed in light.

His senses faded. His mind grew blank. All was silence. From outside of Hell's Gate, the brilliant light could be seen, breaking through upwards like a brilliant pillar of light, reaching it's way to the false starry-night sky that had been the sky of the lives of Contractors. Many found themselves shocked, fearful, and awe-inspired by the sight, watching the light as it burned with brilliance. Near Hell's Gate, a young woman gazed at it, knowing full well who was inside.

"Li-kun..."

None knew, however, that when this pillar of light appeared, the Contractor known and feared as BK-201, the Black Reaper, had disappeared... and with him, his star, which glowed ever brighter as it streaked across the sky.

Where this star went, nobody knew for certain... for Hell's Gate was a mystery, as was the ways it worked.

One thing was certain, however... the Black Reaper would find himself upon a new battlefield.

 **XxXxX Kill the DARKNESS - The Black Reaper XxXxX**

When Hei awoke, he found himself staring at a blue sky above him.

It was so deep and vivid, with only a few fluffy, white clouds lazily floating across his vision. "W-wh..." he blinked, clearly not expecting such a scenery as he pulled himself up, as he realized that he was laying flat on his back. "What the?" Rather than the flowered garden that rested at the very center of Hell's Gate, nor the space occupied by golden clouds, Hei was looking at a vast horizon that stretched out before him, revealing lush green woodland and large hills and mountains that stood proudly in the distance, along with what appeared to be a gigantic city, found far off, yet much closer than the mountains. "Where... where the hell am I...?" He questioned. As he took a step forward to explore, Hei noticed that something was off. Yin was nowhere to be seen. His power should have brought everything to an end, and due to his close proximity to the Gate, as well as the Gemini Meteor Suo kept with her, his power should have been-

That was when something occurred to Hei. "The Gate..." he soon realized, eyes wide. "Did it interfere with my powers somehow?" He held up his hand and looked at it. He recalled a familiar feeling, his eyes glowed red as a blue outline appeared around his form. Sparks of electricity danced on his fingertips. "No changes..." he muttered, narrowing his eyes at his fingers as he ceased his power. "Which means I still have Pai's power..." A frown settled on his face. "If that's the case, then what caused this?" As he pondered this, his mind wandered back to his companion. He wondered if, other than the Gate affecting his power somehow, Izanami was also another viable reason for this. Perhaps she had overcome Yin's constraints, and did something to land him here? Now that he thought more about it, where was here, anyway? Given the geography, it was clear he was close to a forest, and not far from him was civilization... yet, even from such a distance, he could tell something was off about it.

"...mnngh..."

Hei's eyes widened, turning sharply. His breath hitched. There was someone resting against a tree, as even the surroundings that overlooked such a breathtaking sight were not devoid of woods. They were asleep, head lowered with their eyes closed. They had bright red hair, much like Havoc's own hair, though their hair was longer, tied into a braid, and wore a long orange coat with short denim pants and heavy brown boots, complete with black leggings.

"Suo?!"

He quickly moved to her side. He pressed two fingers to her neck to check a pulse one was present. A sigh of relief escaped him. "She's still alive." he breathed before he gently nudged her shoulder. "Suo... Suo! Wake up."

The red haired girl's eyelids twitched slightly for a few moments. Finally, they opened.

"Rmngh... Hei...?" she said tiredly as she rubbed her eyes. "What's... going on?"

"I wish I knew myself." he answered. "Anyway, are you alright?"

"I...I think so...I just feel really tired..."

 _'Well, I don't blame her.'_ he thought wryly, thinking back to the events that transpired only earlier before his mind recalled the truth about Suo. Because she was a Doll installed with memory implants, as well being an 'artificial' Contractor, her existence wasn't meant to last long. Her encounter with Izanami had only hastened the progress of her memories breaking apart. "Suo..." he said slowly. "Do you remember anything?"

"R-remember? Um..." Suo frowned heavily as her brow knitted together, as if trying to remember something important. "I... I think I was in a flower place, and um... I-I think... I have a brother named Shion?"

Hei didn't show it, but he was growing concerned. "What else?"

"I..I..."

"Hey," he looked her in the eye as he held unto her shoulders. "Don't strain yourself. It's alright if you can't remember."

"O...Okay..." she relented.

Hei sighed. Now he was really concerned. Her memory was completely broken... It seemed like she remembered him at the very least, and her brother... but, what else was there? "Can you stand up?" he asked. Suo nodded, albeit unsure, and brought herself up to her feet. "Alright... Let's see where we are." Suo nodded again. The red haired girl nodded once more before following him. They moved toward the city in the distance.

 **XxXxX Kill the DARKNESS - The Black Reaper XxXxX**

It hadn't taken Hei and Suo long to reach a path that seemed to connect to the city. It was fortunate as well, as they soon came across a caravan of merchants who were heading out into the city. Seeing the two obviously on foot, and apparently lacking supplies for the journey, which they said would take at least two days, and without weapons to defend themselves (if only they knew about Suo's Anti-Tank Gun), they offered the two a ride.

"Thanks again," Hei said, slipping into his old Li Shengshun persona as he put on a grateful smile. "I appreciate it."

"No problem. So you two are really heading into the Capital?" One of the merchants asked.

Suo tilted her head. "The Capital?" she asked. "Is that the name of the city?"

"Yeah. It's the heart of the Empire. Did you guys not know? Are you foreigners?" The other merchant asked.

Hei nodded. "Yeah." he said, still smiling. "Studying, actually."

"Studying?" a merchant asked with a raised eyebrow. "Here? In the Empire?"

"yes." he nodded again.

"Well, word of warning, my friends." the first merchant said gravely. "Be careful. The Capital is not a safe place."

Suo tilted her head. "What do you mean by that?"

"The people there, people like the nobles, ranking officials, and Prime Minister are worse than any Danger Beast you would encounter here. They are all the reason why this Empire is so corrupted."

Hei raised an eyebrow. "Danger Beast?" he asked, curious. "What are they?"

"They're just like what they're called." the merchant answered. "Powerful beasts that roam the Earth. Sort of like wildlife and have their own habitat... and you better prey you make it out alive."

"they are that dangerous?"

"Yes. Although, many of them are categorized on different levels in terms of how dangerous they truly are."

Hei nodded. "So, how long will it be before we reach the Capital?"

"Well, based on how fast we are currently going, I'd say less than a day."

Suo's eyes widened. "Really?"

The merchants nodded, the older of the two grinning. "Don't underestimate these gals," he gestured to the horses. "They've been through many a trek!"

"Oh, for the of love..." the other groaned. "What is it with you and bragging about your horse?"

"Well, I-"

Suddenly, the ground beneath them began to shake violently. "W-whoa!" Suo yelped, about to fall when Hei caught her. The caravan swung violently while the horses began to buck and neigh haphazardly, seemingly afraid of what was happening. The earth continued to shake, and cracks began to form along the foundation in front of them. From the breaking earth, arose a gargantuan figure. It's body was colored brown, and seemed to be encased in dirt and stone to act as a form of natural plating. It had long claws and sharp teeth. Its eyes glared at the people hungrily.

"AHHHH! It's an Earth Dragon!"

Hei's eyes widened in shock and surprise. "That's a Danger Beast?!"

"Dammit all!" one of the merchants cried. "Why is one of them here?!"

 ** _"GRRRUUUOOOOOGGGHHHH!"_ ** The Monster howled. It then lunged for the Merchant cart.

Hei was just about to move to intercept it, but another figure beat him to the punch.

As the creature's arm came close, a blur shot by, followed by a gleam of silver. In the next second, the creature's arm was sliced off. The merchants were shocked by this, but Hei was very impressed. Whoever executed such a strike must be quite talented with a blade. Once the creature's arm hit the ground, the caravan's savior landed in a crouch. "Class-1 Danger Beast, an Earth Dragon." It was a young male, around the same age as Suo, with messy brown hair and green eyes, wearing a knit v-neck sweater with leather gloves and shoulder pads, as well as blue jeans with worn boots. Strapped to his back was a sheath, and in his hand was a blade. "This should be fun."

With a grin, he aimed the tip of his blade at the Earth Dragon, which roared with rage. "Aw, don't be mad~" he teased as the Danger Beast swung it's remaining arm down. However, the teen was already in the air. 'Impressive reflexes,' Hei noted. He was further impressed by the killing intent expressed in his eyes. "I'll take care of ya!" When gravity brought him down, his blade followed. The Danger Beast whirled forward, intending on killing this nuisance. However, this rage was short-lived, as silver flashes streaked across it's body. When the green-eyed teen hit the ground, the thick, brown armor was cut to pieces, bursting gushes of blood spewing out from open wounds. With a weak death cry, the beast landed on it's back.

It did not get back up.

"Whew...Well, I'm kinda disappointed. This thing barely put up a fight..." The teen complained.

 _'Agreed,'_ Suo thought. _'For a dangerous monster, it was pretty pathetic.'_

"Wow, that was amazing kid!" the merchants ran up to the brunette, praising him and thanking him profusely as he sheathed his sword. "You took down that Danger Beast, all by yourself!"

"Aw, stop it. It was nothing." He rubbed the back of his head, but based on his expression, he was soaking up the praise like a sponge.

"Great..." Hei sighed. "He's one of THOSE people." Now, don't get him wrong, Hei was thoroughly impressed by the boy's incredible skill. He certainly had the finesse and speed, but his ego was definitely in need of some work. He knew more than anyone how one's ego could prove to be severely fatal. After all, he had seen to kill many Contractors who had become conceited because of their prowess, regardless of whether or not it was rational to believe so.

"Oh, and by the way," the boy grinned as he poked his chest with his thumb. "The name's Tatsumi! The whole Capital is gonna know my name before too long!"

At this, the merchants' faces fell. "The...Capital?" He was heading there as well?

"Yeah. Is there a problem?" Tatsumi asked in confusion.

"Well, the Imperial Capital isn't some dreamland where you can make it big, kid." the merchant said bluntly with a grim face, the same face he had shown Hei and Suo when they said they were going to the Capital. "Sure, it's the big city, but it's overrun with monsters..." He looked at the corpse of the Earth Dragon. "...monsters worse than Danger Beasts."

Tatsumi tilted his head in confusion. "I... don't get it." he said. "What could be worse than Danger Beasts?"

"Humans, with corrupt and evil hearts." he answered darkly. "And the Capital is chock full of 'em."

The boy nodded in understanding, but he grinned shortly afterward. "Thanks for the warning," he told the merchants. "But there's no way I can turn back now." His grin turned into a heartfelt smile as he looked at the where the Capital rested. "You see, me and my friends are on a mission. We're gonna make it big in the Capital... and save our village."

 _'...This boy is hopelessly naive.'_ Hei deadpanned. This kid was going to get himself killed by his naivety.

Still, at least he had conviction, that much was obvious. "Well, if you're serious, then I guess there's no stopping you." the merchant sighed. "Since you saved us, why don't we give you a lift? We're heading to the Capital to get ourselves some supplies back for the Eastern Country Trade Guild."

"Seriously?!" Tatsumi exclaimed, eyes wide. "Thanks! I owe you big!"

"It's no trouble at all," the other merchant chuckled. "After all, we already have two other people heading there too." He pointed to Hei and Suo, who had been watching the exchange silently. Upon being noticed, Hei smiled again, this time sheepishly, as he waved at the boy. "Hello," he greeted. "I'm Li Shengshun. This is my younger sister, Suo."

The red-haired girl followed along with his lie, and nodded. "Hello."

"It's nice to meet you two." Tatsumi nodded in kind with a bright smile. At least he was no longer alone for his journey. And he was finally going to reach the Capital! Bonus!

 _'Wait for me, Ieyasu! Sayo!'_ he thought, his eyes blazing. _'I'll be at the Capital before you know it!'_

 **XxXxX Kill the DARKNESS - The Black Reaper XxXxX**

"...Lubbock, who is this girl?"

"Hey, you're asking the wrong guy, Leone." the Green haired assassin shook his head in exasperation.

It had been roughly a few hours since the rounds. There had been nothing out of the ordinary for them, as Lubbock's wires had not been tripped. However, when Leone returned, there was a new guest inside, who was being watched by Mine and Bulat. She was wearing a long, white shirt that had been loaned to her, as according to Lubbock, she was found completely naked. In all honesty, the girl worried him. Just how on Earth was she able to get so close to their territory, without even so much as setting off a single alarm? Her features were also a mystery to him, as her facial features were rather foreign, while her silver hair was left to hang about on her shoulders, and her violet eyes, expressionless.

"So, let me get this straight..." Leone said as she folded her arms over her chest. "This girl just showed up near our hideout... and she didn't trip so much as a single wire?"

"Yeah." Lubbock nodded. "It was weird alright."

The blonde seemed still quite suspicious of the whole thing. She then turned to the mysterious intruder, and approached her. "Hey, you." she said. "Who are you?" The girl remained quiet. "Who are you working for?" No response. "How did you find our hideout?" Again, no response. Her eyebrow began to twitch. "...can you talk?"

"Forget it, Leone." Mine scoffed, her voice equally as annoyed as her colleague. "I've asked the same questions, and she's still tight lipped." She looked at the masculine man beside her. "Remind me again, why haven't we killed her yet?"

"It's because we don't know if she truly is an enemy." The well-built man responded.

"Are we seriously going to take chances like this?!"

"Well," Lubbock shrugged. "She hasn't done anything yet. Hell, she hasn't moved an inch since we brought her. Nice and obedient." He had a thoughtful look on his face as he turned to Bulat. "Do you think she might be an escaped slave?"

"No," Bulat shook his head. "I couldn't find any marks on her body, and slave owners always brand their merchandise. There's also a chance she might be just a kid who got lost... though that's high unlikely, given how far out our hideout is."

Questions came and went, but no one knew the solution to their predicament. Just who was this girl? And how the hell did she end up in the base? Meanwhile, the girl remained completely silent. Her violet eyes lazily drifted from person to person throughout the conversation. What interesting people. "Look, we can't just keep her here." Mine argued. "I say we kill her, and be done with it!"

"Yeah, and what if she's innocent?" Lubbock snapped, glaring back at the small pinkette defiantly. "Look, Mine, we understand the risks as much as you do, but until we know for certain who she is, we keep her here."

"And also, it's the Boss' decision of what happens to our guest." Bulat added. "Besides, if she were an enemy, she would have done something already." _'Then again..._ ' he thought, looking at her. _'Something about her feels... off. I can't feel a shred of emotion from her.'_ The strange girl blinked occasionally as she stared at the group. Her eyes were blank, yet focused.

Deciding to try his hand, Bulat removed himself from the wall, and knelt down. "Good luck, Bulat." Mine snorted, seeing what he intended to do. "But she's just gonna ignore you."

Bulet didn't respond to her as he smiled at the girl. "Hey there," he said jovially. "I know this must seem pretty odd to you... and to be perfectly frank, we're not the sort of people you'd want to be around. We aren't bad people, per say, bu we have done a lot of bad things." He chuckled sheepishly as he scratched the back of his head. "My name is Bulat. The tsundere-"

"Hey!"

"-is Mine. The blonde is Leone-"

"Hey!" Leone winked as she held up a hand in greeting.

"-and the green-haired kid is Lubbock."

"Yo." the boy grinned widely.

"So, little one..." he smiled. "Can you tell us your name? You don't have to tell us where you came from, or how you ended up here... Just your name."

At first, she remained silent. For a while, the others were convinced that the girl was perhaps she was mute, or perhaps she was just naturally disclosed to them. Mine seemed to think so, as she snorted and puffed her cheeks. "Told you."

"...Yin." The group blinked, all sans Bulat, who grinned, as the girl looked at him. "My name..." she said slowly, her voice quiet and soft, almost melodious. "...is Yin."

"Yin, huh? That is a fine name. It is nice to meet you, Yin." Bulat nodded jovially.

Mine, however, was gob smacked. "What?!" she shrieked, her face red with rage. "Oh, that is category five BULLSHIT!" She's been trying for HOURS to get the girl to talk! ANd here comes Bulat who manages to get it done in MINUTES!

"And the Handsome Devil of Night Raid does it again," Lubbock chuckled. "Still... Yin, huh? That's some progress, at least."

"Yeah. Maybe she'll be willing to tell us more if we leave it up to Bulat." Leone offered.

"Hey now, let's not get too ahead of ourselves." Bulat scolded. "Besides, Leone, don't you have a job to do?"

Suddenly, at that moment, Leone remembered that, indeed, she had a task to perform. Recently, Night Raid had been contracted to kill a certain family, one that truly embodied the definition of scum. Supposedly, they took outsiders of the Capital, under the pretext of offering a warm bed and food, only to then torture and kill them in the most cruelest and slowest way possible. "Aw, crap!" she cursed as she bolted out of the hideout, leaving behind a trail of dust in her wake.

Lubbock sweat-dropped. "Aaaaaand that's Big Sis for ya..."

 **XxXxX Kill the DARKNESS - The Black Reaper XxXxX**

"Wow, so THIS is the Capital...!" Tatsumi breathed in amazement as he and the two Contractors entered the imperial city. "Sugoi!" It truly was an impressive sight. There were numerous tall buildings and shops. The stone floor was a cool, light gray and reflected some of the sun's rays. Everywhere there were people bustling about. And yet, while Tatsumi gazed at it all in utter amazement, Hei viewed it with a critical gaze. 'From the faces of everyone passing by,' he thought darkly. _'Those merchants weren't kidding.'_ While many people were moving about, their expressions contrasted to their activity. Their eyes were hollow and their expressions were anguished, yet they were hidden well. They resembled dead people walking. Suo noticed this as well, and developed a somber look while Tatsumi turned to Hei. "Say, Li." he said, having grown somewhat familiar with the Contractor during their ride. "You said you came here for studying abroad, right?"

Hei nodded. "That's right." he lied with his old persona present. "Although, it's more self-studying than anything else. Just historical lessons is all."

"Is that so?" Tatsumi chuckled before offering a hand. "Well, it was nice meeting you."

Hei took the hand into his own. ' _They're quite rough._ ' he noted. 'He must have practiced extensively with a sword. All he needs is more refining, and he could be a good warrior.' "It was nice meeting you too." he said before adopting a curious expression. "By the way... When we first met, you said you were going to save your village by making it big here in the Capital. What did you mean by that?"

"Just what I mean." the green-eyed boy answered. "You see, my village is suffering from an increase in taxes lately. Me and my friends came here to earn the money we need to help them out. That's why I'm signing up for the military." He grinned widely as he pounded his fist against his chest. "With my skills, I'll make it as a captain! Easy!"

 _'Being naive and arrogant will get you get,'_ Hei wanted to say, but instead remained in his Li Shengshun facade, and scratched his cheek. "Quite the goal you have." he told Tatsumi. "I hope you succeed. Take care!"

"Yeah!" With a strong nod, and a wave, Tatsumi took off, heading to the barracks. Once he did, Hei dropped his mask, and turned to Suo.

"Let's go."

"Right." Suo nodded, knowing what he was referring to. They moved deeper into the Capital, observing those around them. No matter where they looked, they had always found the crowd to be in a hidden despair, eyes that have lost hope. Those who looked to be of the higher class had no such loss, instead looking enlightened and smug with arrogant grins. It was clear that those of the lower class were suffering, and those of the higher class prospered. _'Danger Beasts...'_ Hei thought about everything he had learned thus far since awakening in an unfamiliar area. ' _The Imperial Capital... The Empire...'_

His eyes narrowed. _'Wherever we are... it definitely is NOT our world.'_ There were no Contractors. No Heavens Gate. No Hells Gate. Only corruption. _'This Empire is like a gigantic Syndicate,'_ Hei thought in putrid disgust. _'They're trying to dominate and control everything beneath them... It's sickening.'_

"What do we do?" Suo asked as they traversed the streets. "Wherever we are, I don't think yen will constitute as money here."

Hei nodded in agreement. He was unsure of yen was of any value here, but at the very least, they could try and gather more information about this place. "We should look for a public library." he said. "If we can get a good grasp on what exactly this world entails, we might find a way back home..." He paused for a moment, stopping as he put a hand to his chin. "Although, that's doubtful as well, given our circumstances." It was then that Hei thought of something, and turned to his companion. "Suo... Are you still able to create that rifle of yours?"

Suo nodded, albeit hesitantly. "I, uh... think so?" she answered, unsure of herself. "I haven't used it since we got here, but I think I can still make it."

"Okay. We will try again later." The girl nodded, and then they began their search for the library.

 **XxXxX Kill the DARKNESS - The Black Reaper XxXxX**

"Whoo! Nothing's better than drinking in the morning!"

Tatsumi could only sweat drop as the woman in front of him continued to drown bottle after bottle of booze. He had to admit, part of the reason why he even agreed to come with her to the tavern after he was denied his chances of becoming a Captain without even getting a chance to show off his skills was because of her figure. She wore baggy jeans with a piece of it exposed to reveal her black shorts, along with a unique belt he had never seen before, while her top was little more than a black tube that barely did anything to hide her breasts. If at all anything, it only emphasized them more, while also wearing arm warmers at her forearms. Her hair was blonde and short, and slightly messy while her eyes were golden.

"So, er..." he paused for a moment as he tried to process everything. Okay, first he tries to get into the army, only to get denied. Then, he runs into this totally hot girl who's drinking like no tomorrow... and she doesn't even look the least bit tipsy?! 'Damn, she must be a heavy drinker.' he thought before continuing. "You said your name was Leone, right?"

"Yep," the lady grinned. "And you said your name was...?"

"Tatsumi."

"Tatsumi, then!" Leone grinned further as she leaned forward, exposing her cleavage. It was becoming increasingly difficult to not look at her constrained figure. Was she doing this on purpose? If so, he hoped she wouldn't stop. "So, why do you wanna get into the army?"

"I wanna make it big in the military so I can send money back to my village."

Leone raised an eyebrow at this before she smiled. "Well, if you want... I can get you in."

"Wait, seriously?!" Tatsumi exclaimed, shooting up from his seat with large eyes. Yes! This was it! A chance to become a major official! "You can do that?!"

"You bet I can," the beautiful blonde said with a wink. "You see, I have a friend on the inside. He can make you into a Captain no prob..." She paused as a mischievous smirk crossed her face. "Provided you have the money to make it worth his while."

The boy frowned. "Money, huh?" he mumbled before he dug around in his bag. He was unaware of the large grin that crossed his apparent life-saver's face, which soon fell into shock as the boy produced a large sack, filled with several coins, which he put on the table. "Will this be enough?"

"Whoa-ho!" Leone leaned in, an excited gleam reflected in her eyes. "What do we have here?!"

"Reward money for beating the shit out of an Earth Dragon." the green-eyed teen replied, smirking in pride as he folded his arms. "It was nothing!"

"Wow. You must be very strong to ccomplish such a thing."

"W-well, I wouldn't call it accomplishing." Tatsumi said in earnest as he sighed. "It was supposed to be a Class-1 danger Beast, but it was totally weak... I just want a real challenge, you know?"

The gears in Leones head started to turn. Maybe...just maybe...

"Well, I think this will do just fine." she told him as she took the bag from the table. As she turned to leave, she gave him a wide grin. "I'll make you a Captain just yet, kiddo~"

"Thanks!" Tatsumi bowed his head as he watched her leave. It was a shame that he failed to realize that he had just been swindled.

 **XxXxX Kill the DARKNESS - The Black Reaper XxXxX**

It had taken some seaching, but Hei and Suo had found their intended target: the public library. It was certainly much grander than any he had seen, with several bookcases lined with many tomes. To Hei's surprise, the books were written in English, which was a relief. Currently, he was sitting at one of the desks with a stack of books on his right, all of them he had read within the hour. Thanks to the information these tomes provided, he now had a better understanding of the world... and he could say, with finality, that this was most DEFINITELY his world. Not only was there a lack of Heaven's Gate or Hell's Gate, much less the mention of Contractors, but there was few technological advancements. Sure, they had designed guns, but that was it. Of course, there were also these impressive weapons called the Imperial Arms, or simply "Teigu," which were made by the First Emperor several years ago.

He had also learned from listening in on the conversations around him, both outside in the street, and in the library, that the current ruler was nothing more than a child, and was being controlled by the Prime Minster, Honest. The man was evil incarnate, from what he understood. He used everyone around him, even the Emperor, as mere pawns. Thanks to him, the higher class prospered beneath the suffering and poverty of the lower classes. Now, the Capital was little more than a den of power-hungry and greedy men that deserved nothing short but death. There was also a rebel force that opposed the Empire, known as the Liberation Army, and under it's command was the assassination group Night Raid, which, true to their status, were killers who targeted noblemen and military officials and political figures who abused their power.

Hei closed his eyes, his face without expression, as he closed the book and placed it on the stack beside him. Wordlessly, he removed himself from the chair, and moved away. He bowed his head, putting on a fake smile as he thanked the librarian for allowing him to borrow the tomes, and took his leave. Outside, Suo was sitting on the staircase, her chin resting on her arms, which sat atop his knees. "Sorry I took so long." he apologized.

Suo looked up at him, and waved off his apology. "It's alright." she said as she got up. "So, do you know what we're going to do now?"

"Indeed I do. I believe our first order of business would be to learn more about this group called Night Raid..."

Suo tilted her head. "Night Raid?"

"An assassination group under the Liberation Army, the people who are seeking to change this corrupted nation." Hei answered.

The girl only grew more confused. "And why are we looking for them?" she asked. "Will they be able to help us?"

"More or less," the Black Reaper shrugged. "Not only that, but it also gives us some leeway. From what I understand about this world, the Emperor is nothing more than a child, and the Prime Minister manipulates everyone from behind the strings. If we can help Night Raid, and get rid of the Prime Minister, they'll be able to help us out in return."

"How?"

"For starters, a way home." he said, earning a confused look from Suo. "Apparently, the First Emperor created powerful weapons called Teigu, and each one has a unique ability. It wouldn't be too much of a stretch to think that one of them can return us back to our world." His face became serious as he turned to her. "However, even if they will be of use to us, provided we can gain the cooperation, we shouldn't reveal the fact that we're Contractors, nor the fact that we're from another world entirely. We can probably pass off our powers being a result of an experiment by the Empire. A flimsy excuse, but it's the best one we have right now."

"Okay..." Suo nodded. Hei's plan was reasonable. It would be easy for her to play off her powers, as it would simply be a supped up rifle to others.

Hei then frowned as he slipped his hands into his pockets. "The real problem is trying to find Night Raid, and how to get them on our side." he said, clearly troubled by the problem. "If we could prove to them we have the ability to aid them, then perhaps we have a chance... Of course, this requires us to actually have contact with them."

"And how do we accomplish that?" the sniper asked. "From what you've told me, they target anyone who abuses their power or money, and given what we've heard, there's no shortage of potential targets. How do we find which one they target?"

"That's our problem." he told her, impressed that she was catching on so quickly. Then again, she had been a fast learner as time went on. "We don't know exactly what sort of targets they're after. All we know is that they will target any corrupt person of influence in the Capital." He sighed. "...we should come back to this later. It's already night-time." True enough, the sky had become darkened. Hei had only just realized how long he had spent in the library, unaware that it was already dusk. This proved to be a problem, as due to the difference in currency, it would be hard to find a place to stay, much less gain some food to eat. _'Maybe we could acquire a job?'_ he thought before dismissing the idea. _'No. We don't have any sort of verification to prove who we are.'_ He stopped when he noticed the look of surprise on Suo's face as she started at something. "Suo?" he called out. "What is it?"

"Ano..." she pointed her finger at what she was staring. "Isn't that Tatsumi?"

"Hm?" The man turned his head to the direction she pointed. Sure enough, the brown haired teen was slumped up against a post to a bridge, his eyes glassy and his expression blank. He looked depressed. "Tatsumi?" Hei called out. The green-eyed teen blinked, and looked up, surprised to see the two here. "What are you doing here?"

At this, a depressed smile came across his face. "W-well... funny story... Y-you see, I uh..."

Suo cocked her head to the side. "You what?"

"I, um... Got cheated..." he mumbled quietly, but loud enough for the two to hear him. "Out of... all of my money." Hei and Suo stared at him with deadpanned expressions. They both knew that the boy's naivety would bite him in the ass one day, they just never thought it would be this soon. "Stop that!" Tatsumi snapped after seeing their faces like that. "It's bad enough as it is!"

Hei groaned, face-palming. "How in the hell did you get cheated out of ALL of your money?" he asked in exasperation. "You even got some extra cash from those merchants we traveled with!"

"Dammit, it wasn't my fault!" he cried. "It was those boobs' fault!"

"Boobs?" The man questioned with a raised brow.

"I-I mean that blonde lady! She said she had connections to get me into the Army."

Suo sighed. "In other words..." she said bluntly with an equal stare. "You got seduced, and robbed blind."

Tatsumi slumped even further than before. His head hung down as if a massive weight were on it. She hit the nail on the head. "You didn't have to say it like that..." the boy mumbled. Hei resisted chuckling. Leave it to the sniper to be so blunt with her feelings. As they were speaking, a carriage passed by them, though it quickly stopped when it's occupant paused, seeing them.

"Stop!" a feminine voice cried out. The three turned to the direction of the carriage as the door on the side opened up. A young girl with short, curly blonde hair dressed in a white dress stepped out.

"Again, milady?" one of the drivers asked.

"You know I can't help it." the girl replied. "It's in my nature." She then approached the three, bearing a kind, gentle smile. "Excuse me, but... do you three have any place to stay?"

Tatsumi gave her a deadpan glare. The girl was quite cute in his opinion, but ever since his encounter with that blonde hottie who robbed him blind, he had grown quite distrustful of beautiful girls, especially when they were offering him a helping hand. "If we were, would we be standing around here?" he snarkily replied.

"Well, if you want, I can let you stay at my place."

"Really?...What's the catch?" Tatsumi questioned cautiously. He was not going to be swindled again.

Hei and Suo silently applauded. The naive boy was learning.

"There's no catch." she told them. "Is it wrong to help people?"

"Sorry, you'll have to forgive him." Hei said, quickly putting on his smiling face. "You see, he just got robbed blind by a girl who said she had connections to get him into the military, so he's pretty salty about it."

"ARGH! Dammit, Li! Don't talk about other people's problems so casually!" Tatsumi snapped.

The blonde girl, however, looked stunned. "Oh, that's horrible!" she said in concern. "Now you HAVE to come with me!"

The green-eyed teen sighed. "Look, lady, I-"

"No buts!" she said with finality. At that point, her two drivers came up behind her. "You three should take up Lady Aria's offer." they told the them. "She always lends a helping hand to people who don't have anywhere to go."

 _'...Something smells fishy...'_ Hei hypothesized. From the way the girl was dressed, and the fact the two men referred to her as 'Lady Aria', the girl was obviously some sort of Noble. And from what he's gathered so far, the Nobility here prospers by leeching off the lower social classes. Why would a girl like her show action in trying to assist people out on the streets? Some ulterior motive?

And that smile she had...

It was completely fake.

 _'Just what are you planning?'_

 **XxXxX Kill the DARKNESS - The Black Reaper XxXxX**

"It's official. They're guilty, and are officially made targets of assassination." Leone stated bluntly. She had just finished giving her report to the rest of her companions, and the woman seated before them.

Najenda smirked. "I see..." she said as she slowly took a drag of her cigarette before speaking again. "Very well. Night Raid will carry out this mission." Mine and Lubbock grinned, the latter of which slamming a fist into his palm while Bulat smiled somewhat, anticipating a good fight ahead. Sheele, being the airhead she was, simply nodded, aware that they had a target to eliminate. Leone, however, was more excited than anyone, as she would be able to let loose. "Tomorrow night, the Harvard Family will be killed."

"Great!" Leone cracked her knuckles. "I'm seriously looking forward to running wild!"

"But...what should we do about Yin-chan?" Sheele questioned with a tilt of her head.

Najenda raised an eyebrow. "Yin?"

"The girl who appeared at our hideout." Lubbock informed her. "That's what we wanted to talk to you about. She didn't trip any wires, almost as if she just appeared at our base. She doesn't seem to pose a threat, but we didn't want to take any chances, so we had her on tabs. We wanted to know what your opinion was."

The woman was curious. An unknown intruder, suddenly appearing out of nowhere, and she didn't even so much as trip a single of Lubbock's wires? She turned to Bulat, wanting to know what he thought of the situation. Seeing his gaze, the man shrugged his shoulders. "I don't think she's an enemy." he stated. "I don't sense any negativity from her at all... Though, then again, she doesn't show much emotion at all, but I can at least tell she's not an enemy."

"I still think we should get rid of her!" Mine growled. "She's annoying the hell out of me!"

Leone snickered. "You say that because Bulat managed to get her to talk, and not you.

"Shut it, you!" The pink haired girl snapped. But internally, she was pouting. Leone had hit the nail on the head.

Sheele, however, looked concerned. "Um, can we..." she raised her hand up a bit. "Not kill Yin-chan? She's such a sweet girl."

Mine scoffed. "Only because you found a book buddy." she muttered to herself before becoming serious. "But I still think we should get rid of her. I mean, what if she's seriously a spy?"

"Then we will handle it when the time comes. But just to be sure, I want at least one of you to monitor her at all times." Najenda instructed.

"In that case," Lubbock turned to Bulat. "Why not let him look after her? After all, you ARE closer to her than all of us?"

Bulat raised an eyebrow. "How do you figure?"

"Well, for starters, you were the one who actually got the girl to open up to us and tell us her name. Out of all of us, I think she actually likes you the best."

The man tilted his head, pondering this with a hand on his chin. "You think so?"

"Yeah." Leone agreed. "I mean, you are much more likable than Mine here."

"Hey!"

 **XxXxX Kill the DARKNESS - The Black Reaper XxXxX**

"...something is wrong with these people." Hei said, leaning against the wall beside his bed. Aria had brought them to her home, and her family had taken quite the liking to them almost immediately. Normally, he wouldn't think too much on it, but given the state of things, it was clear that something was up. His suspicion only grew with how quickly Aria's family seemed to try and help them. He was even more worried upon remembering her mother's statement about how many she had brought home. "I'm not sure what it is... But they aren't who they appear to be."

Suo nodded in agreement, sitting atop her bed. "They're smiles," she stated her observations. "They were fake."

"Agreed." Hei nodded. They smiles they had on...they were able to fool Tatsumi into thinking they are compassionate and good Samaritans...but the Contractors knew better. Those smiles were as false as their motives. They should know. They are Contractors after all.

And Contractors were expert liars.

"...Suo," he turned to the red-haired girl. "Keep an eye on things here. I'm going to investigate the grounds." The girl looked concerned, but he offered her a smirk. "Don't worry, I'll be fine. Besides... No one will know who I am when they lay their eyes on me." He removed the green jacket he had worn shortly before he and Suo encountered the merchants earlier in the day on their way to the Capital, even removing his shirt before pulling out two pieces of fabric from his pockets: one was a skin-tight muscle shirt, and the other, a neatly folded, thin black coat.

Suo blushed slightly, seeing Hei's well-developed muscular frame, and looked away, slightly abashed. In little time, Hei put on his harness and belt, as well as his signature mask. However, before he put it on, he paused. He had not worn this mask, not since the day he had lost his powers as a Contractor around the same time he had met Suo. Now, however, holding this mask, which bore the smiling face of a clown with a lightning bolt, he could only feel a sense of nostalgia. He remembered the first time he wore this mask, the day he had truly become known as the Black Reaper, one wreathed in mystery and death. How ironic it was that the Capital would soon learn of his existence, only as one who delved into the darkness, and eliminated those within it?

He slipped on his mask, and left the room.

"...Be careful...Hei..." Suo whispered as she watched him leave. She was worried for him, but was well aware he could take care of himself. She had her own task to perform.

She took a deep breath. A second later, her pupils shined red, and her body became bathed in blue light.

 **XxXxX Kill the DARKNESS - The Black Reaper XxXxX**

The guard was restless. Ever since he had been hired by the Harvard family, he had grown to be very weary about them, and as suggested by his colleagues, he made sure to stay on their good side, and stay the hell away from them at all times until required to be at their side. Oh, he was fully aware of what kind of sick and twisted people they were, as the echoing of screams continued to echo in his ears. It made him sick to know he wasn't able to do anything, but at the same time, he was too terrified to do anything, for if he did, he would join those poor souls. He was disgusted with himself. He couldn't do anything. All he could do was just stay quiet and stand still, lest he suffered the consequences. He had gotten desperate to the point of wishing Night Raid would come and kill all of them. Him included. He just couldn't live with himself after everything that has happened. Just what in the hell was he thinking, taking this job? He'd be better off working at some low-paying job. Even slave labor sounded better than this. It was terrifying how money could be so enticing... and he fell for it, hook line and sinker. That had been why he contacted Night Raid, telling them everything about the Harvards. That blonde girl knew everything there was about them now... which meant, soon, the assassins would come to take their pathetic lives.

No doubt a few other men felt the same way.

After a few minutes, the guard became increasingly disturbed by the chilling silence. "H-hey, Zack?" he called out timidly. "Are you there? Hello?" There was no response, which only fueled his unease. "Zack?" Sighing, muttering to himself, he made his way deeper into the small patch of woodwork that was owned by the Harvards. "Where are you?" he called out for his friend again, but found nothing but silence. "Dammit, this place gives me the creeps." He stopped when he found his friends, leaning against a tree. "Oh, geez, there you are! Where the heck have you..." He trailed off when Zack's body hit the ground, unmoving. Stepping out from the darkness was a figure cloaked in black, wearing a long black trench coat and pants, bearing ebony hair and a white mask bearing a curved smile and black eyes, obviously the mask of a pierrot, only it bore a purple scar resembling a thunder bolt over the right eye. The guard's body suddenly froze, sweat pouring down his face as the figure stepped over the unmoving body of Zack (whether he was dead or alive, he didn't know), approaching the man with a steady, even pace. "A-are you..." the guard stammered, but yelped when the masked man grabbed him by the collar, and threw him against the trunk of a nearby tree. He then rammed his arm into his throat, pinning him to the tree, and a silver knife in his hand. "Y-you..." he grunted somewhat, struggling to breath. "Are you... with Night Raid? T-then... you've come to kill t-the Harvards?"

"...that all depends," the masked man said, his tone cold and ruthless, truly the voice of a trained killer. "Tell me what you know about them. They show themselves off as kind and generous, but..." He tapped his blade against his cheek. "I think we both know what they're really like, don't we?" The man was shaking in his boots. But he knew that the figure before him was right. He was unsure if he was a part of Night Raid, but if he was willing to kill the Harvards, then who was he to look at a gift horse in the mouth? "I want information." the masked man hissed. "And your going to tell me... EVERYTHING."

"I...I will..." He relented.

"Good."

The guard swallowed a lump in his throat. "T-the Harvards may look generous and kind, but... That's how they do it. It's how they reel in the poor souls unfortunate enough to set foot into the Capital. They pretend to be good-natured folks, but once you've stayed one night... It's all over. The next morning, you'll be wishing you were dead." The figure was silent. "If you want prove... c-check the warehouse." He turned his sight to where the warehouse laid. "See for yourself... and you'll know for certain what kind of monsters they are." He trembled, arms shaking. "T-that's why... I asked Night Raid to come here."

The grip over his throat lessened. "...you paid Night Raid to kill the Harvards?" the masked man asked, incredulous. "Why?"

"I just can't take it! The only reason I signed up for this job was for the money! I needed the money to support my family! But when I first learned at what they did...I was disgusted with myself. I couldn't believe I was so blinded by money that I failed to see what they were doing to those poor souls. I couldn't do anything, lest I suffer the same fate. So That was why...That's why I hired Night Raid to kill us!"

The masked man was silent. "...you said everything was in the warehouse?"

The guard nodded shakily. "One look... one look is all you need."

"...I see." In the next second, the masked man's body was outlined by a blue light. Another second later, the guard fell over, eyes rolled to the back of his head. The masked man slipped his knife back into his sleeve, and then made his way to the warehouse. It wasn't hard to find it, and there were no guards in the vicinity, as he had already dealt with them. as he approached, he took a staggering step back, an unpleasant, foul smell flooding into his nostrils. It was a stench he was all too familiar with.

The stench of rotting flesh.

The figure, repulsed by the scent, quickly moved to the door, and cut down the steel chains binding it. He pushed it open, ever so gently, and stared at the contents inside.

"...so, this is the true nature of the Harvards."

Everywhere around him, were the unfortunate souls of the victims. Their bodies were flayed, cut open, burned, the list goes on. Many were locked in cages. Others were suspended from the ceiling in chains. In the center of it all were metal tables with shackles. All of it caked with dried blood. The figure stared at the sight, their expression hidden by the mask. However, one thing was clear... the Harvards would endure a fate worse than death.

 **XxXxX Kill the DARKNESS - The Back Reaper XxXxX**

"...ugh, remind me again..." Tatsumi groaned as he, Hei, and two other guards began carrying several assortments of bags. "Why the hell... did we agree to this?!"

"...We were asked to do so. And you were the one who wanted to repay them for their kindness." Hei responded simply.

"I know that!" the green-eyed youth snapped. "But come on! Not even Sayo was this clothes crazy!" He groaned in aggravation. "Women from the Capital must be clothes crazy!"

"That's because they actually have money to spend."

"DAMMIT ALL DON'T REMIND ME ABOUT THOSE BOOBS!"

"...I wasn't even reminding you of that."

The guard beside them chuckled. "Well, you two are certainly a lively pair," he noted. "Still... Li, was it? You said you were from outside the Empire?"

Hei nodded. "Studying abroad, mostly. My sister came along because she wanted to see what the Capital is like," he told the man. "Still, though... Is it just me, or is everyone passing through the street just depressed?"

"Eh?" Tatsumi frowned. "Depressed?" He looked at the crowd, examining the passing faces of the crowd. "Well, now that you mention it..."

"It's not your imagination, Li." the guard said, his face grim. He then pointed to the large structure, which laid directly in the center of the Capital. "You see that? That's the Royal Palace."

Tatsumi eyed the castle, vastly impressed by its sheer size. "Wow..." he said in awe. "So that's where the Emperor lives?!"

"No." The boy frowned, seeing the guard's dismissal. "You see, the Emperor is only a child. The one that's really in power is the Prime Minister."

"The Prime Minister?" Tatsumi inquired. He looked curious as well, despite knowing the answer.

The guard nodded. He looked around, appearing uneasy, before he leaned in, and lowered his tone to a whisper. "Ever since the Prime Minister came into power, the Capital and the rest of the Empire have been turned into his puppets." he told them. "Increased taxation, bribing officers, dirty politicians... Everyone around him, he uses as puppets."

"W-wait, he does what-MMPH?!" Tatsumi cried out, only for his mouth to be clamped shut by the guard.

"Quiet!" he hissed. "If anybody hears you, you can forget trying to get the money you need to save your village! You'll be thrown to the dungeons... if your lucky." Hei and Tatsumi silently nodded, the latter having no choice due to his mouth being covered. The guard then directed his attention to the piece of paper pinned to the wall. "Do you see that wanted poster?" he asked them as they looked at it. The poster had three pictures; each bearing a mugshot of certain individuals. One was a woman with long hair, another was a more mature-looking woman with an eyepatch, and the third was a burly man with messy hair. "Those aren't just ordinary people... They're a group of assassins called Night Raid."

Tatsumi narrowed his eyes, curious and confused. "Night Raid?"

"Like their name implies, they are hired killers who will attack in the dread of night." the guard informed them. "They go after high members of society. Politicians, military officials, nobles... anyone of influence."

 _'Yeah,'_ Hei snorted. _'And anyone corrupt.'_ But this was a good thing. At least he knew what the looked like now. Now he can spot them easier. ' _Akame, Najenda, and Bulat...'_ he read off their names. ' _Now, how long will it be before Night Raid makes their move?'_

 **XxXxX Kill the DARKNESS - The Black Reaper XxXxX**

Night had once again arrived at the Harvard Estate. Unlike last time, Hei had made no attempts to search the grounds, as he already had the information he needed. He simply sat and awaited for the group of killers to arrive, and while he did so, he was trying to figure out many complications that were present earlier. He needed to find some way to convince them that he and Suo were not enemies, as well as create the possibility of joining their ranks. Given his experience, he knew he could be an asset to them, and take advantage of his abilities, and should they be questioned, he already had a story in mind, which he drilled into Suo's head should she also be questioned.

Their cover story, if Night Raid saw their abilities, was that they were experiments to create a counter-measure against Teigu users, giving ordinary humans supernatural powers, albeit stripping them of emotions, and replacing it with rational thought. Contractors; humans who perform an action after using their power, the payment of their abilities, hence their name. It was close to the existence of Contractors in his world, which meant it wasn't necessarily a lie. _'We don't know the requirements of joining Night Raid, but if we can negotiate with their leader...'_ Hei thought deeply. _'No, that shouldn't be my priority. For now, we'll simply contact them, and see how things go from there. Still... I wonder, how exactly did we end up in this world?'_

He stared at his hands. _'Was it... the Gate?'_ he thought. _'Or... was it Yin?'_

His thoughts drifted back to the silver haired girl he had gotten so close to. He really wished he could see her again. Ever since that incident, where her entire form had become changed, going from a Doll to something else entirely. He had sworn to kill her after she had fallen asleep, and when he had agreed to join the CIA.

Now, however... He wasn't sure what he should do.

For the first time in a long time...he was lost. He was unsure what to do when the situation arose.

Of course, there was another question he wanted an answer to:

Was Yin here too? Did she get transported here like him and Suo? If so, then why wasn't she with them? "Where could she be...?" he muttered before he noticed Suo glaring at the window. "Suo?"

"...Hei." His face turned serious when the girl's eyes narrowed at whatever was outside. "They're here."

He didn't need to ask who she was referring to. Instead, he simply threw on his coat, and slipped on his mask.

It was time. It was now time to act.

"...Let's go, Suo."

 **XxXxX Kill the DARKNESS - The Black Reaper XxXxX**

The moment the wave of killing intent washed over Tatsumi, his body jolted awake, eyes wide. "W-what in the hell?!" He felt his heart hammering against his chest. He had woken up in a cold sweat. He snapped his head toward the window, facing a blood-red night sky. As he looked out, he saw several figures, all of which standing seemingly in mid-air, through with the moon acting as a backdrop, he could see streaks of thin light, possibly wires. There were five in all, and while he couldn't properly make out their faces, the amount of intensity and killing intent they displayed were more than enough to identify them.

"Night Raid?!" Tatsumi grabbed his sword nearby. He rushed through the door. This was bad! Really, really bad! If Night Raid was here, then Aria and her family were in danger! He had to find her, and fast! "Aria?!" he screamed, dashing through the halls at full speed. "Aria, where are you?! Li! Suo?!" He cried and cried. Yet no answer came. It was completely silent. "Dammit!" He broke out into a run. He needed to find someone. Fast!

 **XxXxX Kill the DARKNESS - The Black Reaper XxXxX**

"...eliminate." An emotionless voice stated as blood flew in the air. Several guards backed away, eyes filled with terror, as standing before them was none other than Akame, also known as the Akame of the Demon Sword Murasame. Her eyes were dark crimson, her hair jet black, reaching down to her shoulders, and garbed in what appeared to be a sailor uniform with white trims and a red tie. In her hands was a katana, which was stained with the blood of the soldier she had just killed in a mere second.

"Keep your distance!" the leader called out. "Don't let that sword touch you! One cut, and your as good as dead!"

The male beside her chuckled. He looked to be somewhere in his young teens, bearing green hair and a green jacket, a pair of goggles atop his head, as well as a pair of gloves. "Smart move," he applauded before shaking his head. "Although... pretty much useless. Your dead either way."

As he said this, the sound of metal slicing through flesh filled the air.

In a split second, several guards were cut down, many slashes going across their bodies. The leader was no exception, as his throat was ripped open. "Ghrk!" he gasped as he stumbled, holding his throat. A fountain of blood quickly poured out while black markings began to seep out of the wound. "S-so... This our punishment..." he groaned, feeling his life disappearing. "For being as corrupt... as them..."

He soon fell back, dead.

"Target eliminated. Continuing mission" the female voice said in monotone.

 **XxXxX Kill the DARKNESS - The Black Reaper XxXxX**

"W-who are you?!" Mr. Hrvard cried as he stumbled back, staring at the imposing form of the black-clothed figure before him. "W-what do you want?!"

"It's simple." The figure stated, it's tone masculine. "I want you to pay your sins with your life."

Before the man even had a chance, they dashed forward, and grabbed his head. They were dressed entirely in black, his face covered by a Pierrot mask with a thunder bolt on the right eye. "I saw what was inside the warehouse." he told the man, earning a look of fear and horror and shock. "I know what you people do. So, tell me..."

The grip over his head tightened.

"...how would you like to experience just a taste of the pain your victims feel?"

His body glowed blue.

"Gggrrrruuuauaaagagaaagaggaaaaggghhhhhh!" The man spasmed crazily from the millions of volts of electricity flooding into his body.

His screams lasted for only a few seconds before his body ceased. His eyes remained bulging, saliva flowing from the corner of his mouth, and steam pouring out of his body. The masked man allowed his body to fall, which hit the ground with a thud. "Disgusting." he said. Despite the curse, there was hardly any emotion in his voice. Only the tone of a man who acted solely for the sake of the mission. "Every last one of you is disgusting."

"On that, I couldn't agree more, mystery man~"

The figure turned on his foot. Standing in the doorway was a woman with blonde hair and gold eyes, wearing rather provocative clothing. However, she appeared to bear animalistic features, such as claws cloaked in fur, a tail, and elongated ears, as well as sharp fangs, which were showed off by her grin.

"So...who exactly are you, Mr. Clown?" The feline woman inquired.

"...I've gone by a lot of names." he told her. He didn't need to ask who she was. He could tell by her stance, and the way she held herself... without a doubt, she was a trained professional, and a terrifying killer. That, and her appearance, while odd, was perhaps a result of this "Teigu" he had read about. Given that only so few of these weapons exist, there was only one answer. She was with Night Raid. "My enemies call me the Black Reaper... though if you need something to call me, Hei will suffice." He turned to face her fully. "So... You are Night Raid?"

"One of their members," the woman grinned. "The name's Leone. Nice to meet ya, Hei. So..." She glanced at the corpse of Mr. Harvard. "What's your story?"

"Long story short?" he shrugged. "I want a meeting with the leader of your group... and, if possible, a chance to kill the Prime Minister."

This caught the woman's interest. He wants to kill the minister?

"Do I wanna know?" Hei gave her no response. This caused Leone to sigh. "Well, I can tell by your get-up your serious..." she said before looking at him again. "I can't really guarantee anything, but if your willing to help us gut the bastards, be my guest~ Oh, but if you try to stab us in the back, your gonna regret it."

This time, she earned a response. "Oh, don't worry." Hei chuckled. "My best interest is in helping Night Raid out, and a mutual cooperation."

"Really now?"

"Yes."

Leone narrowed her eyes, staring at him intensely. _'Doesn't seem like he's lying...'_ she thought. _'And I could tell he's experienced... But, that weird light just now... What was it?'_ She had never seen anything like it. Given the smell of burnt flesh, it was clear that he had somehow electrocuted the fat bastard from the inside out, pumping his body full of volts. She wasn't aware if there was a Teigu like that, but it was odd how his body was bathed in a blue light. Was that a result of his Teigu? _'Hm...'_

Finally, she nodded. "Alright, Hei." she smiled. "Here's to a wonderful partnership~"

She held out her hand, and he took it.

 **XxXxX Kill the DARKNESS - The Black Reaper XxXxX**

"Lady Aria, get behind me!" the guard said as his master took refuge behind him as he requested. Brandishing his rifle, he pulled the trigger, and opened fire. "Diiiiiie!"

Akame's face remained even as she weaved through the bullets, deflecting and dodging them with incredible grace, a black dancer with the battlefield as her stage. She was quickly closing the gap, and not a single bullet had yet to scratch her. The man still tried to gun her down, but it was all useless. "Eliminate." As soon as an opening was left for her, a gap in the hail of bullets, Akame dashed forward, a black blur followed by the flash of silver. A second later, she was behind the man.

A fountain of blood spewed from his body as he fell over, the rifle falling from his grip. Aria yelped as she backed away, nearly tumbling over her feet. Her body trembled as Akame, in all of her glory, slowly walked toward her like a predator stalking it's prize. Her blade was brandished, ready to strike her down. To the poor girl, the assassin was like the angel of death, ready to claim her soul. Just as she was prepared to strike, her eyes darted to the right, her senses flaring. She quickly moved back, avoiding a sword swinging down on her easily. "Aria, you okay?!" Tatsumi shouted in concern.

"Tatsumi!" the blonde girl said in relief. "Your okay!"

"Don't worry about me!" he told her. "Where's Li and Suo?!"

"I-I don't know! They're probably already..."

Tatsumi's face was set into a grim line as he turned to Akame, his green eyes blazing with rage. "Why would you do this?!" he screamed at her. "They've done nothing wrong! We're not at war here, so stop! There's no reason to kill an innocent girl!"

Akame, however, was deaf to his pleas. Instead, her red eyes remained focused on Aria, which made the girl tremble with fear. "...you are not our target." she told the boy. "Stand aside."

"Like hell I will!" Tatsumi yelled. "There's no way I'll let you kill her!"

The girl didn't react, nor show any emotion to his words. Instead, she slipped into a stance. "...so be it." Akame said coldly. "You will be eliminated." Tatsumi tightened the grip on his sword. He prepared himself for the fight of his life. From what he could tell just standing there, the girl had more experience than him with the sword. _'This is gonna be tough...'_ he thought before bracing himself. _'But... I won't let her kill Aria!'_

He launched himself into the thick of battle, blade at the ready. "Hyaaaagh!" The girl remained silent as she rushed forward. In the next second, their blades clashed. Tatsumi nearly felt his arms buckle from the impact. The girls strength behind her blade was even stronger than his. _'Dammit, she's strong!'_ he cursed inwardly. _'She's definitely stronger than me! But...'_ He narrowed his eyes, and shrugged her off. _'If I can't stop her from protecting one girl, how can I expect to save my village?!'_ He roared a battle cry, swinging his sword at her. Akame easily dodged it, leaping up into the air. She demonstrated excellent mobility and maneuver as she twirled herself at an angle, and slammed her foot into Tatsumi's back, forcing him to stumble. As soon as she hit the ground, she prepared her blade. "Shit!" Tatsumi gasped, eyes wide as he tried to defend himself. It was too late, however, as the blade easily knocked his sword out of his hand, and struck him at the center of his chest. The force of the attack sent him flying, hitting the ground with a harsh thud.

Aria's eyes widened in concern. "No, Tatsumi!"

The boy groaned, feeling his back aching in pain as he pulled himself up. 'Dammit that hurt...' he groaned, slightly dizzy from the force the attack. "Why'd you back off?"

"...I didn't feel any flesh."

The green-eyed teen grinned as he pulled out a small ornament from his sweater. It resembled a tiki, bearing curved horns and runic designs. "Luckily, I had this." he said, now grateful for the elder for having giving him this. "Seems like the people back home are looking out for me after all."

There was a large crack in the center of the idol, signifying where the girl's sword had struck earlier.

"Then I will just have to cut you again." The girl stated as she readied for another strike.

However, before she could, the ground in front of her was blown apart, forcing her to jump back. "W-whoa!" Tatsumi gawked at the sight, unable to comprehend what just happened before he looked around for the source. Then, he found it, as a familiar girl with red hair was found in the trees, sitting in a comfortable position while lying face down on her stomach, supported by a thicket of branches. In her grasp, however, was by far the biggest gun Tatsumi had ever seen, as it's length was unreal, easily standing over him twice over. "S-Suo?!"

Said sniper pulled back the hammer, the shell casing thrown into the air, where it dissolved into light. "That's enough." she said, loud enough for Akame to hear. "I will not let you hurt Tatsumi-san."

The green-eyed boy grinned. "Suo, you-!"

"However, I care not for Aria Harvard. You are free to cut her down."

"...What?" Tatsumi's face fell. Aria's face fell to an expression of horror. She was just going to let the enemy cut her down?!

"...Understood." The raven haired girl nodded.

"W-w-whoa, wait wait wait!" the boy cried. "S-Suo, what are you doing?! They're gonna kill Aria and rob her blind!"

Suo, to his shock, shook her head. "No." she said, causing him to grow confused. "They are here only to kill the Harvards, and anyone who has become involved in their activities."

Aria froze.

"Activities...?" Tatsumi frowned. "W-wait, what do you mean?"

"Hei-san learned the Harvards' dirty little secret." the sniper answered, causing Aria's heart to drop. "One of the guards couldn't take it anymore, so he paid Night Raid to come and kill every guard who knew about them, and the Harvard family." She then turned her head off to the side. "Right, Hei-san?"

"That is correct." A male voice resounded. Two figures stepped out of the shadows. One was a masked figure clad in black. The other was a busty blonde possessing animalistic features.

Akame tilted her head, as this was the first time she had seen this figure, but given that he was with the blonde, it was likely that he was an ally, so she wouldn't consider him a threat. Tatsumi, however, displayed surprise. The masked man's voice sounded familiar for some reason, but he couldn't quite put his finger on it. However, he recognizes the busty blonde almost immediately, despite the change in appearance. "Hey, wait a second!" he cried, pointing a finger at her. "Your those boobs who swindled me!"

"Yep~" Leone grinned widely. "It's the beautiful big sis, at your service."

"Dammit! Give me back my money!"

"Hm, how about... Nope!"

"Your wasting your breath," Akame deadpanned. "She's already spent your money on food and alcohol."

"Wha-Seriously?! Godammit!"

Suo jumped down from her perch, her rifle in tow, as she carried it over her shoulder, moving to join her friend. Leone noticed her weapon, and whistled. "Nice gun." she commented before turning to the brunette. "So, Tatsumi... You think that girl's innocent, huh?"

Aria flinched while Tatsumi, snapping out of his stupor, frowned. "Of course she is!" he shouted. "Her father offered to look for my friends! How could they be-"

"You're wrong, Tatsumi." the one called Hei cut him off, his voice cold. "They're not the kind people they've made themselves out to be." He pointed to the warehouse behind them. As soon as he did, Aria's face went pale, realizing that he knew what was inside. "Why don't you look inside? After that, tell us the Harvards are innocent."

Tatsumi frowned, unsure of the man's claims. However, given the distance, he could at least buy time for Aria to escape, and he was sure he could react in time to defend himself, at least to some extent, even with their numbers. He may die in a few seconds, but those seconds would be useful. Nonetheless, he turned to the warehouse. 'Dammit, what is that smell?' he thought in disgust. 'It smells like rotting flesh!' He gently pushed the doors open. As soon as he did, all the color drained from his face, his green eyes went wide with horror, and his heart sank. "W-what...the fuck...?"

"This is the dirty little secret the Harvards have been keeping." Leone said, folding her arms underneath her breasts while staring at the sight with indifference. "They had quite the nasty habit of picking up people from out of town, and then tortured them to death for their own sick pleasure." She looked at Aria, who was too terrified to even move from her spot, as Hei, Suo, and Akame kept their eyes trained on her, almost as if keeping their eyes on their prey. "So, how much fun did you have torturing these people, missy?"

"N-no, you're wrong!" Aria shook her head in denial. "I didn't know anything about this!" She whipped around to Tatsumi, the only person who could save her right now. "T-Tatsumi, you have to believe me! I-I didn't know anything about this, I swear! W-who are you going to believe?! T-them, or the people who took you in?!"

However, her words fell on deaf ears, for Tatsumi's eyes, filled with horror and grief, stared at a corpse, which was directly in front of him. It was a woman, naked as the day she was born, with silky black hair, and a flower ornament placed on the right side, her head hung low, and several lacerations found across her skin. Tatsumi instantly recognized her by the pin alone, and it tore his heart apart, unable to stand or see this. It was impossible, he didn't want it to be true, but reality was staring at him dead in the face. "S-Sayo...?!" he whispered, his voice shaking. "N-no... No way... W-why...?!"

"T-ta...tsu...mi...?" a weak voice called out from the side. He turned his head, and his horror only grew, as he found yet another familiar face, a teen his age with messy black hair, and a white headband around his forehead. He was wearing only a pair of black pants, but his entire upper torso was littered with cuts, and worst of all, blotches of discolored skin, swollen and aching. "I-is that you...?!"

"N-no... Ieyasu...?!"

"Tat...Tatsumi..." He raised a hand and pointed at Aria, his eyes filled with absolute wrath and disgust. "That girl...That Bitch!...She was the one who killed Sayo! She tortured her for days on end before killing her! She did it all...with that sick smile on her face...!" At this point, tears poured from Ieyasu's crazed eyes.

Hei turned to Aria, who's eyes were overshadowed by her blonde bangs. "Well?" he snarled pompously. "Can you continue to feign ignorance, even after hearing that?"

"...fine!" Aria screamed. "So I did it! Why the hell should anyone care?! These trash are just worthless filth! They're-They're nothing but livestock for me to use as I see fit!" Tatsumi slowly turned to her, and found a look of disgust, rage, and crazed madness present, her once beautiful blue eyes now nothing but livid insanity. "Garbage like that whore doesn't have the right to have such beautiful hair! Mine is ALWAYS getting in the way, so I treated her EXTRA special! She should be honored I gave a slut like her so much fucking attention! She was nothing but an UNGRATEFUL BITCH!"

Leone rolled her eyes, not at all the least bit disturbed by Aria's maddening rant. "Honey, I don't mean to be rude here, but your kinda disturbing." she said before nodding to Akame. "Okay, Akame. She's all yours."

The red-eyed killer nodded. "...eliminate."

"Wait."

The two turned to see Tatsumi, his bangs covering his eyes. Leone narrowed her eyes at him. "You have to be kidding." she said in disbelief. "Your still gonna defend her, after hearing that?"

"No..." When Aria looked into his eyes, she found herself staring at the eyes of death, for his green eyes, if only for a short moment, were blazing red. "I'll kill her myself!" He was about to unsheathe his blade, having put it away before opening the warehouse, but he was stopped by Hei. He grabbed his wrist, clamping it tightly, leaving his arm stuck in place. Tatsumi's eyes widened, seeing how quickly he closed the distance between them, and halted his advance. However, that shock soon faded into rage. What the fuck was he doing?! This bitch... If it weren't for her, Sayo would still be alive! She had even GLOATED about killing her! She was scum! A bitch! A fucking whore that deserved to be gutted like the livestock she claimed lived for her own personal uses! She didn't even DESERVE to live!

"...Tatsumi." Hei pulled off his mask, revealing his face to the green-eyed boy. His eyes widened upon seeing the face of Li Shengshun in front of him, while Leone whistled, getting a nice look at his face. 'Ooh, mama likes~' she purred, immediately finding him handsome. She was a bit surprised, seeing how young he looked, but she had also noticed the cold, sharp edge his blue eyes carried. She recognized such eyes well, as Akame bore similar ones as well; the eyes of a killer. "Whatever you'll do to her..." he said slowly as he turned to Aria. She suddenly took a step back, now fearful of the cold, almost frigid gaze and tone he carried. "...it won't ever compare to the pain she deserves."

When she tried to turn and make a run for it, Hei instantly moved forward. His hand was over her face, clamped right over her mouth in a vice grip, instantly sealing her fate. His body became encased in a blue light, and his pupils shined red. "Your disgusting," Hei spat venomously. "Looking at you makes me wanna puke."

Tears fell from Aria's eyes. With one word, the Black Reaper sealed her fate.

" _DIE_!"

Electricity danced at his fingertips before releasing millions of volts of electricity directly into the bitch's body. The magnitude of the electric currents was even greater than before, as it seemed as if the girl was being fried by lightning itself. Blood poured out of her eyes, ears, mouth, and nose, as a result from the blood vessels in her head rupturing and her brain frying from the intense head produced by the voltage. Every single nerve in her body was overwhelmed by the massive amount of electric currents. Screeching pain and agony consumed every one of her senses. Her flesh was being seared by the lightning produced by Hei's will, to the point that it was turning black and brittle like charcoal before their very eyes. But Hei's method of punishment did not stop with electricity. He was also using the other part of his Contractor abilities: Molecular manipulation. Even now, he is causing the molecules in her body to vibrate at the same speed as if they were hit by microwaves, causing parts of her frying body to expand. He also took the liberty of scrambling her molecules to further distort her appearance and allow her to experience the pain of her bones and organs melding, her vessels and arteries being fused to one, and the agony of each of her bodily systems being ripped apart and fused back together, composed of various pieces.

Seconds of agonizing screams and wails passed before they ceased. What was held in his grasp was nothing more than a burnt, charred corpse, barely recognizable.

Hei wordlessly tightened his grip. What was once the head of Aria, the blackened piece of charcoal crumbled in his hands. The rest of the burnt corpse fell and broke apart upon impacting the ground.

"...hot damn," Leone applauded, clapping her hands with a look of utter amazement on her face. "That was awesome! That must be pretty useful!"

Akame nodded silently, clapping quietly alongside the blonde woman. Tatsumi, however, was left a gawking mess. He couldn't believe his eyes, they must have been playing tricks on him or something! But... there was no doubt about it. His friend had just reduced that bitch to a piece of black charcoal. There was no way anyone would ever be able to identify her now, if it was even possible. However, he was also happy. Hei had avenged everyone who had because of them... even Sayo. "H-hahaha..." Ieyasu, from his prison, laughed weakly as he fell to his knees, tears of joy falling from his face. "That... was awesome..."

However, the moment of peace was short lived, as he violently coughed up blood, which gushed from his mouth and nose.

"IEYASU!" Tatsumi cried as he rushed over to his friend. He swung his sword and cut through the bars that caged him and gingerly dragged his body out.

His friend's breathing was weak and strangled, and his heartbeat was slowly fading. "It's Ubelia." Akame said as she watched Tatsumi cradle his friend in his arms. "According to the diary the mother kept, she loved to inject her victims with various poisons. It's in the last stages." She closed eyes mournfully. "I am sorry... but your friend will not survive long."

Tatsumi stared at her face with horror, as if begging her to be wrong, but Ieyasu's laugh caused him turn his attention back to his dear friend. "S-Sayo... She never once gave in, y-you know?" he grinned, despite being so close to death. "Not once d-did she scream... S-she was really awesome." He clenched his fist as he held upward, as if making a declaration. "I-I want... to go out... J-just like..." His eyes fell closed, and his arm fell, only to be caught by Tatsumi. Tears fell down his face as he held his friend close to him, sobbing and shaking.

"W-why...?" he whimpered. "What the fuck... is wrong with this messed up Empire?!"

He received no answer. Instead, he threw his head back, and screamed out in despair as the tears fell from his face, holding the still-smiling corpse of his best friend in his arms. "Talk about depressing..." Leone commented. Despite the light-heartedness of her words, her face clearly said otherwise. She pitied the poor kid. He had been looking for his friends, only to find out that the family who took him off the streets had instead been the ones behind their deaths, and only reunited with them in time for them to say their goodbyes. She turned who Hei, who had his hands in his pockets, watching the scene quietly. "Hey... Why'd you stop him?" she asked out of curiosity. "Did you think he would hesitate?"

"No." Hei answered back. "I could tell... he would have cut her down without hesitation. However, like I told him, simply slicing her chest open will never compare to the pain those who suffered at their hands felt."

She chuckled. "Damn, you really like a reaper."

"I know." The man nodded. "That is why they call me that."

Akame appeared to be interested in this, but shrugged off her curiosity for now, and sheathed her sword. "Mission complete." she said simply as she turned to leave. However, before she could, Leone grabbed her shoulder. "Hey, hold up." she told her friend. "Why don't we take these three with us?"

Akame cocked her head to the side. "Why?"

"Well, we can always use an extra set of hands." Leone said, gesturing to Tatsumi and pointing her thumb at Hei. "And this guy wants to talk with Boss about a possible cooperation."

"Really?" Akame raised a brow. Was he really seeking them out to join them?

Hei nodded. Akame seemed to scan him for a great while before she gave a nod of approval. Seeing this, Leone whooped. "Sweet~! Now we have three members!" she cheered before pausing, turning to the Suo. "...you're joining too, right?"

Suo nodded. "Wherever Hei-san goes, I go."

May 21 "Perfect!" Leone cheered again.

With that, she grabbed Tatsumi by the collar, and pulled him away. "W-wait, what the hell?!" he cried as he struggled against his bonds. "W-what are you doing?! Let me go! I-I have to bury them!"

"Don't worry about that!" Leone told him, still grinning. "We'll come back for the bodies later!"

Hei smiled wryly, shaking his head, slightly amused by the whole situation as he and Suo moved away, following the retreating forms of Leone and Akame, as well as the flailing form of Tatsumi. However, unknown to Hei, he had failed to notice the spectral figure observing him from a pool of blood from inside the warehouse. It's form vaguely resembled that of a girl with a messy ponytail.

"..." The specter was silent. But subtlety, it moved its lips...as if it were saying: Hei.

 **XxXxX Kill the DARKNESS - The Black Reaper XxXxX**

"You're late, Leone!"

The pink haired girl, Mine, admonished as she saw her comrades approach. She then took note of three new faces. "Who are these guys?"

"This guy's joining us as of today!" Leone chirped, holding Tatsumi bridal stule, much to his embarrassment. "And these two wanna meet up with Boss!"

"Say what?!" Mine and Lubbock voiced their question. Why would they want to meet the Boss?

Tatsumi, on the other hand, continued to struggle. "Oi! I haven't said anything about joining!" he growled, his face bright red. "AND WILL YOU PUT ME DOWN?!"

"You may as well forget it," Akame told him. "Once Leone makes up her mind, there's no stopping her."

"See?" Leone giggled. "My buddy gets it!"

"Let me down! I have to go back to them!" He cried. "I need to give them proper burials!"

"Like I said, we'll come pick them up later!" the blonde told him as she looked to her friends. "Hm? Where's Sheele?"

"Right here!" a cheery voice called out from behind. "S-sorry!"

"Geez, Sheele! You're nearly late!" Mine scolded the purple haired woman.

"I'm sorry! I lost my glasses again..." The woman, Sheele, was a slender woman with long purple hair and purple eyes. She wore a revealing sleeveless lilac cheongsam with detached lilac arm sleeves and white boots. At her side was a large blade, heavily resembling a pair of scissors, and wore glasses and had a scar on her right cheek.

The green-haired male chuckled. "Figures..." he said before turning to Hei and Suo. "So, who are you two?"

"Hei." the Black Reaper answered. "She is Suo."

"Hello." The red haired girl waved kindly.

"It's nice to meet you." Sheele bowed in courtesy. "Are you two new members?"

"That'll be up for debate, once we speak with your boss."

"Ah. Okay."

"Well, shall we get going?" The busty blonde questioned.

"W-wait dammit!" Tatsumi continued to resist, even after they jumped headfirst into the darkness below them. "I SAID WAIIIIIIIT!"

Chapter END


	2. Chapter 2

"He who knows others is wise. He who knows himself is enlightened." -Lao Tzu

* * *

 **Kill the DARKNESS - The Black Reaper**

 _Episode 2: Dark Shadows, Lit Path_

Morning had soon arrived for Tatsumi, after having been forced to spend the night with a bunch of assassins. It wasn't quite the ideal situation, but he had no choice but to go along with it. The alternative was most likely execution. Much to his relief, however, that busty blonde - Leone - had followed through on her promise and helped him bury Ieyasu and Sayo's body last night. The two were now resting atop a cliff that overlooked a beautiful mountain-valley sight, swarming with lush green forests. It was serene and undisturbed. A quiet and peaceful resting place.

"To think I'd end up having to bury you guys, after we went through so much." the green-eyed teen muttered, right on the verge of tears. "This...really sucks. Maybe if I...gotten here sooner, I would have...!"

"Do not remain focused on past regrets." A monotone voice interjected. The brunette turned around to see Hei approaching. "What-ifs, maybes, possibilities. That is all they are. Possibilities. The past is past. There is no use pondering on what could've been."

"L-Li..."

No, that wasn't right. That night, he had explained that Li Shengshun was little more than a mere alias. A false name for him to get around. From what little he understood, Hei was an assassin, much like Night Raid, albeit different. It was not everyday you met someone who could reduce people to ash.

A sardonic smile touched Tatsumi's face, turning back to his friends' graves. "Maybe, but...I still can't help but feel as if it was my fault. Maybe if I was stronger."

"You can't change the past, Tatsui." Hei said apathetically. "Instead, look at what you can do in the future."

"The future...like killing the Prime Minister, right?" He asked.

"Indeed. Weed out and eliminate the source of the corruption."

That was the ultimate goal of Night Raid, at least from what Tatsumi understood. He still wasn't sure what to make of the whole situation. After all, he had been thrown into this mess without his consent. Or, maybe, he was meant to get involved after all that's happened. He really didn't know. Tatsumi sighed, running a hand through his scalp. "I don't know what to do."

"Then quit sulking around and live a little, kid~" Tatsumi blinked, feeling something soft land upon his head. Looking up, an atomic blush covered his face, finding two soft mounds attached to a familiar face bearing a Cheshire-like grin. "C'mon! You gotta turn that frown upside down! Let me show you around the base!"

"W-what?!" Tatsumi balked. "But I haven't even decided if I want to join yet!"

Hei sighed. "You may as well give it up, Tatsumi." he said. "From what I heard, she's pretty damn stubborn."

"Ara~? And who told you that?"

"Akame."

Leone pouted. "Of course she did." she muttered. She then noticed the missing presence that was the red-haired girl. "And where's your partner? The one with the really huge rifle?"

"Back at the base."

"Really? Why?"

"She wanted a look around."

Leone shrugged. "Guess it makes sense." she remarked before grabbing Tatsumi by the collar of his shirt, dragging him behind her. "Now, come on, kid! Time to introduce you to your new teammates!"

"Will you listen to me?!" Tatsumi shouted in vain. Hei sighed, shaking his head in exasperation before he followed them.

 **XxXxX Kill the DARKNESS – The Black Reaper XxXxX**

Back in Nightraid HQ, Suo looked around in wonder. This base was pretty impressive. One wouldn't think it was built into the side of a cliff.

Of course, it also made sense. Most people would never expect to find a place so well hidden. For a base of assassins, it was a thought-out move. That being said, Suo wasn't about to hold them so highly yet. If there was anything she's learned from Hei, it was that there were unexpected variables that must be taken into account. Just because a base was hidden did not mean it could be found.

She soon came across what appeared to be a dining hall. Inside was one of the members of Night Raid: Sheele if she remembered right. She was sitting at the table, face engrossed in a book.

Her bespectacled gaze was focused intently on the book in her hand. The title of the cover read "airheadedness for dummies"

She blinked for a few times, trying to wrap her head around the sheer absurdity of such a thing. A book regarding airheads? Why on Earth would she be reading something like that? Shrugging, Suo paid it little mind. She had more or less gotten a basic understanding of the layout from her exploration, sans the areas Akame had told her were forbidden unless this Najenda woman approved of them.

She was about to search for Hei when she saw him entering the room, accompanied by Leone and Tatsumi, the latter of whom was glaring at the blonde woman with annoyance. That look faded into astonishment once he got a better look, seeing as how they were brought to a small living quarters upon arrival here and didn't have much time observing the scenery.

"Holy crap!" Tatsumi exclaimed. "This place is huge!"

"I know, right?" Leone laughed.

Suo giggled. The boy's reaction was rather animated.

Hei seemed a bit exasperated, shaking his head before he turned to find her. Her feet were already moving. "Did you memorize the place?"

"Only what I was allowed to." came the simple answer. She then turned to Tatsumi and Leone, bowing. "Morning, you two."

"Mornin'," Leone greeted. "So, you two met with the boss yet?"

"She said that she'd see us once we were ready." Hei said. "We're just waiting on Tatsumi here."

"Hear that? Even more of a reason for you to meet the boss. Can't keep these two waiting, right?"

Tatsumi's face fell flat. "Well, excuse me if I'm hesitant on becoming a damned assassin." he snarked. He then took notice of Sheele, recognizing her as one of the people present when Leone dragged him with and found her book. He promptly sweat-dropped. _'Airheadedness for Dummies? The hell?'_

"Oi, Sheele." Leone called. "Help me convince Tatsumi, yeah?"

The young woman blinked, removing herself from her book before turning to Tatsumi. "Ah, you're the boy from before, right?" she asked. Tatsumi nodded. "I see. Have you decided to join yet?"

"No. Not really."

"Well...please join, otherwise we'll have to kill you."

Tatsumi paled, comically recoiling. "You call that encouragement?!"

Hei and Suo stared at Sheele, who remained innocent with her smile in spite of her words while Leone groaned, face-palming. "Sheele...try and take a cue from the book your reading. We're trying to ease him into joining, not scare the shit out of him."

"Hey, hold it! I still haven't approved of them!" The pink haired girl, Mine, exclaimed as she entered the room.

Her voice grated on the brunette's ears for some reason. Why, he did not know. "Yo, Mine." Leone greeted. "What's shakin'?"

"Zip it, Leone." Mine hissed. "What were you thinking? It's bad enough we're keeping that brat alive, but letting in three strangers?!"

"Hey, the boss approved letting her stick around, if only so we can keep an eye on her. And besides, this guy-" She rested her arm on Tatsumi's head, thus causing her breasts to fall on his shoulder. Needless to say, it felt VERY wonderful. "-has potential."

The sniper of Night Raid wrinkled her nose. "I'll be the judge of that." she said, staring at Tatsumi's face. The two locked eyes for a good three seconds before she scoffed and crossed her arms. "He doesn't cut it."

"OI!" While Tatsumi wasn't settled on the idea of joining Night Raid, his skills as a warrior were insulted. He could handle himself just fine dammit!

Leone rolled her eyes, used to Mine's behavior before she gestured to Hei and Suo. "And these two?"

The girl diverted her attention to the man and girl. Her gaze was scrutinizing before she backed off with a shrug. "They're passable...I guess...barely..."

Tatsumi scowled. Once more, he felt his pride being trampled over. He hasn't fully seen Hei in actual combat other than what he did to Aria, so he wasn't aware of his full capabilities. He knew Suo apparently had some killer skills with that giant rifle of hers, though. "Gah, seriously?!"

"Oh, don't worry so much." Leone told him. "She's like this to everyone. Come on, let me introduce you to the rest!"

And with that, she dragged him off to who knows where else.

Hei and Suo watched Tatsumi flail about, whining about his decisions being ignored. The two almost felt sorry for him. "Almost" being the key word here. They were still Contractors, after all. Beings who preferred rationality and logic. Of course, the two were different from most Contractors due to their circumstances.

Speaking of which, the man was still worried about Suo. She had confessed that she remembered only a few details about her life and the bare minimal: she had a brother named Shion and they were in Hell's Gate until recently. He already knew that her memories would be deteriorating at this state. The fact that he somehow managed to salvage her to this point was a miracle in of itself.

 _'Another effect of the Gate, I suppose.'_ Hei thought.

Even now, he's still trying to figure out how and why the Gate sent them to a world like this.

Of course, trying to understand the Gate was next to impossible. When it appeared, everyone in the world was trying to understand how it worked. Even though he had seen the core, twice, Hei still could not understand what sort of logic could exist in such a place. Thankfully, he still possessed his powers, and Suo hadn't turned into a complete Doll-like state.

Upon thinking of Dolls, Hei's expression turned somber as his thoughts turned to his companion. His oldest friend. And perhaps the only girl who, after Amber, had a place in his heart. ' _Yin...'_

The girl who had been his partner, companion, and closest friend was gone. And there was no changing that fact.

"Um...Suo and Hei, right?" Sheele called out, snapping Hei from his musings. "From what Leone has told us, you want to join Night Raid, is that right?"

Suo nodded. "That's right." Hei nodded as well.

"Well...you need to talk to Boss about that...she should be back soon."

Mine scoffed. "Doubt you'll make the cut, though."

"I guess we'll see." Hei shrugged.

Suo nodded as well. Neither were perturbed by Mine's dismissal of them.

They had no emotional capacity to do so.

Naturally, of course, their easy dismissal only served to infuriate the sniper. Hei was not bothered by her subsequent temper tantrum. He did notice something out of the corner of his eye. A greenish blue haze. He turned his head, but found nothing. Merely a small bucket of water with a dry mop next to it, leaning against the wall.

 _'Could...that have been...?'_

 **XxXxX Kill the DARKNESS - The Black Reaper XxXxX**

Tatsumi had to admit, Night Raid had some rather interesting characters. From the perverted yet somehow light-hearted Lubbock to the handsome yet intimidating (and somewhat terrifying) Bulat, the people he met today were quite interesting. It was hard to picture people like them as mere assassins. Of course, that all paled in comparison to the black-haired girl he fought last night, who was currently fixing herself a meal.

Said meal, by the way, was a TEN-FOOT EVIL BIRD DANGER BEAST!

"Hey, Akame!" Leone waved. The raven haired girl turned to the approaching duo, chewing on a large piece of Evil Bird. She waved back as she continued to eat. "Ooh, nice haul~"

' _That's all she has to say?!_ ' Tatsumi gawked. _'Seriously, that thing's insane! I mean, sure, that Earth Dragon wasn't much to sniff at either, but this thing's different! And she's just cooking it!'_

"You." Tatsumi blinked, realizing that Akame was looking at him. "Have you decided to join?"

"Er..." At this point, the question was beginning to become one where Tatsumi found himself becoming increasingly annoyed, yet also hesitant to answer. Hei's words from earlier came back to mind, along with the words of the guard who he spoke with prior to the Harvards' untimely demise. "N-no, I haven't."

Akame's stare was flat as she bit into the chunk of meat into her hands. "Then I can't give you any."

"Never said I wanted any!"

Just what was with this girl? She acted so differently the other night. Before, she was an emotionalism killer, but now she is focusing on the food before her...

Leone, however, seemed to be used to it as she laughed. "Don't worry. That's just like Akame." she said, patting him on the head before taking one of the skewers. "Hope you don't mind."

Akame shook her head. "Boss came back." she said between bites. "Over there."

"Eh? Seriously?!"

"Yo." Tatsumi turned. Off to the side, and somewhat hidden behind the large cooked Danger Beast, was a buxom beauty with an eyepatch on her face and steel white hair. Her right arm was purely prosthetic, entirely mechanical with thin yet bulky fingers. While she looked beautiful, the scar and eyepatch on her right eye, plus the prosthetic, gave her the look of a woman you really didn't want to piss off. "Sorry I took so long."

"Boss!" Leone grinned, walking up to her. Tatsumi blinked. This was the leader of Night Raid? "Did you bring me back a souvenir?"

The leader, Najenda, gave a strange smile as she looked at the blonde, finishing off her skewer. "Leone. You went over the time limit on your mission the other day."

The blonde suddenly stiffened. She recognized the leader's tone of voice and that look in her eye. In the very next second, she sprinted away. However, the hand of the mechanical arm shot forward with a cable connected and grabbed Leone by the leg. The Boss proceeded to reel her in, the blonde brawler trying to crawl away.

"What have I told you about taking pleasure in your job?"

"I get it! I get it!" Leone whined pitifully, trying to pry the hand off of her. "Just oil the damn thing!"

Najenda smirked a bit. She always did enjoy putting Leone through this kind of treatemnt. That said, she did have a point. The grinding noise can be quite a bit grating to the ears. She then took notice of the idle brunette and looked at him curiously. "And who's the kid?"

"Someone we picked up! I think he's got potential." Leone said once Najenda let her go, much to her relief. "And we got two more in the base. Said they wanna have a crack at the Prime Minister."

"That so?" The Boss hummed in thought. She gave Tatsumi a glance. Then she turned to Leone. "Have you confirmed his skills?"

Leone shrugged. "Almost, but the intent is there." she said before grinning. "And the guy back at the base is pretty interesting, too."

"I see. Well then..." She stood up from where she sat. "Grab everyone else. It's time for a meeting."

Leone grinned and Akame nodded, finishing the last of her meal. Tatsumi tensed when Najenda set her eyes on him for whatever reason. Such a stare felt cold and sharp like a dagger pressing against his throat. It certainly unnerved him, yet he knew why. Her question about his worth proved as such.

The woman was going to determine if he was worth being apart of Night Raid's ranks.

 **XxXxX Kill the DARKNESS - The Black Reaper XxXxX**

 _'So, this is all of Night Raid.'_ Hei thought, looking around the room. Beside him were Suo and Tatsumi, both of whom stood with him facing all the members of the assassination group. Bulat, Sheele, Mine, Leone, Akame, and Lubbock stood on either side of their Boss. The brunette beside him was nervous while Suo's gaze scanned across the group of seven.

She was analyzing them. Gauging them to determine which among them was a greater threat than the rest of them. Hei silent praised her for attempting such a thing, but they lacked information. They knew nothing of how they fought, of how they acted or worked. They were all unknowns. In any other situation, Hei would disapprove of such a decision to join them if only to have a better chance at obtaining a Teigu capable of returning them home, but such was their objective. To use others and be used in turn.

Provided Najenda saw them worthy.

"So..." the leader of Night Raid spoke, huffing a cloud of smoke after inhaling on her cigar. "Tatsumi, Suo, and Hei was it?"

"Th-that's right!" Tatsumi nodded.

Suo and Hei bobbed their heads as well.

"My name is Najenda and, as you may already know, I am the leader of Night Raid. Before I continue any further...what do the three of you know about us, given you've only recently arrived in the Capital?"

"That everyone here is an assassin." Hei answered smoothly. "You target noblemen, military officials and politicians - anyone of particular influence. While many would believe you're trying to stir up chaos, I would think otherwise." His eyes hardened. "Especially when you have to consider the fact that the Emperor is a child and the Prime Minister is the puppetmaster."

Najenda hummed in approval. "It seems you catch on quick. Yes, you are correct. Our targets are primarily individuals with close connections to the Prime Minister. People of interest. Of course, we also target corrupt officials who abuse their power for personal gain and whatnot." She took another whiff of her cigar before continuing on. "However, in truth, we're apart of something much more."

Tatsumi's eyes danced in curiosity. "Something...more?"

"Yes. We are apart of the Revolutionary Army. A group that seeks to overthrow the current regime in favor of a better form of government."

"So you are the army's assassination squad to take out key players of the Empire's forces, correct?" Hei inquired.

"That is correct."

"When engaged in war, simply getting rid of influential individuals is not enough. There are all sorts of battles." Hei spoke from experience. Mere assassination is not enough. Sometimes, battles are played through intelligence or physical prowess. It is necessary to gather as much information on the enemy as they could, as well as dwindling the numbers of their forces.

War is not simply won by getting rid of key instigators, it is also completely dominating the opposing force.

Najenda smiled thinly. "I see you understand, Hei. You are correct on that matter."

The man nodded. Given his previous profession, he had to learn such concepts in order to ensure a successful mission.

Tatsumi, however, was starstruck. "And...by replacing the old order, you mean usurping everything, right?" he asked, taking a step forward. "As in, wipe the slate clean?"

"Yes. We will purge the corruption in this god-forsaken empire in order to better the lives of everyone."

Another step. "What about politics? I don't know much, but there are a lot of people who'd disagree with your way of thinking."

"Perhaps, but among their number are the few who also wish to change the Empire for the better. People who will do whatever it takes and risk everything - even their careers if they must."

Another step. "And the people?"

"It is true that not everyone will agree with our revolution. However, I can say with confidence that a vast majority of the Empire's population desire change for the better. Those who desire otherwise are most likely profiting from the corruption of the current regime and will be dealt with accordingly."

Tatsumi's village came to mind. The whole reason why he came here with Ieyasu and Sayo in the first place. The taxes that plagued the village so horribly.

It was also now that he understood. These weren't just assassins. These were people who wanted to make everyone's lives better. People who could change the whole damn country.

"I think I get it." Tatsumi nodded, smiling. "So cool...you guys are like he-OW!" Suddenly, his feet crunched something came down on it. Looking over, he found Suo's heel on his. "What the heck was that for, Suo?!"

Suo gave him a deadpan look. "You were going to say something stupid like how they're heroes, right?" she said flatly. "Baka."

"Even if their actions are heroic, that still doesn't justify the blood on their hands." Hei stated, staring at him coldly. "Regardless of their actions, each of them has committed a sin that, as far as the Empire is concerned, is unforgivable. They'll be executed and killed, no matter how just the cause. It's simply how the rules of the world worker."

Bulat nodded in agreement. "Yep. Gotta agree on that." He then turned to the brunette. "So, Tatsumi. What'll it be?"

"At first, my goal was to save my village by earning enough money to pay for the taxes." Tatsumi said, hands balling into fists. "Now that I know the truth, it doesn't change anything. In fact, it isn't just my village. It's everyone." His eyes hardened, a gleam similar to the one when he pulled his sword on Aria flashing in his eyes. "That's why...I'll cut them down!"

Najenda smirked. "In other words...you wish to walk the path of blood?"

"Yes. Najenda! Please let me join Night Raid!"

The woman chuckled. "In that case, Tatsumi, welcome to the path of carnage." She then inclined her head to the remaining two. "And what about you two? Are you willing to tread the same path?"

"Ma'am, I have already been on this path for years." Hei answered. "And given the state of things currently...I see no point in changing it."

Suo gave a nod. "Wherever Hei goes, I go."

"I see." Najenda nodded. "From what I've gathered, the boy wants to save his village. What about the two of you? What is your reason for fighting against the Empire?"

Hei closed his eyes. He knew that fooling this woman would be tough. In fact, she was already looking for something. Something out of the ordinary. A hole in whatever lie he would create. The truth would be far too outlandish to believe, but whatever lie he was going to craft, he would need to be quite thorough. Wordlessly, he pulled out one of the many knives in his possession. Everyone tensed up, hands going for their respective weapons. However, only Suo seemed to understand the meaning and watched.

Already, he felt his power flowing at his command. His body became outlined in blue light, and his pupils began to glow red. Then electricity danced around his knife, wrapping around it haphazardly and chaotically.

"Suo and I are...as you may now realize, not normal." His gaze shifted to Leone and the others. "Your comrades can attest to that statement, given the final state of one of your most recent targets."

Everyone turned to Leone and Akame, who had seen him and Suo in action. In actuality, though, Akame had only seen Suo with her giant rifle. She had never seen how she managed to bring it out into the fold.

"I can vouch for him." Leone said, crossing her arms. "Grabbed Mr. Harvard's head and next I know, guy's freaking out like he had a spasm attack."

"Electricity." Bulat furrowed his brow. "Electrical Manipulation?"

Hei nodded. "More or less. I can control the flow of electricity, though I can push it further than that. As for Suo..." He gave the girl the okay. Suo inhaled and let the phenomenon around her too. However, everyone's eyes widened in shock as they watched a long rifle, easily bigger than Bulat, the tallest of the assassins, emerge out form her chest in a flow of light. It hovered in the air for a moment before she grabbed hold of it. "She can create a rifle, capable of firing rounds that can pierce through even the thickest of armor."

"Jesus..." Lubbock sweatdropped. "The hell kind of Teigu are those?"

"No." Everyone turned to Akame, who stared at the two sharply. "Not a Teigu. Something else."

Hei closed his eyes, going with the lie he had made up earlier on yesterday. "Suo and I are...experiments. We were given these powers in an attempt to create a soldier capable of fighting on equal ground with Teigu users."

This surprised everyone. Experimental soldiers? Were they a product of the Empire's efforts or someone else...?

"Damn..." Lubbock grimaced. "Gotta say, that's pretty surprising."

Hei shrugged, impassive. "The only thing I cared about was protecting the people important to me. That's why I took Suo and ran. There used to be two others, but..."

He trailed off. No more needed to be said. Night Raid immediately caught on to what he meant. Thankfully, they said nothing. Hei was still unsure of how Mao was doing, but Yin was gone. Yet for some reason, he couldn't shake the feeling that he was being watched, even now. Ever since the feeling returned, he had been keeping his eyes out. So far, he hadn't found anything out of place.

But there was no mistaking the feeling he was receiving. The feeling of something wet and warm reaching out to him and holding his hand. A feeling he knew all to well.

A feeling that should be impossible to feel, as the last time he experienced such a thing, the hand that he held was not warm by icy like the arctic ocean.

He shook his head. ' _Maybe I'm just getting worn out from fighting for so long.'_ he wondered before focusing on the matter at hand.

From the look on her face, Najenda seemed to buy his story. If only partially. Until the time came, he would insist that they were nothing but mere labrats. For now, though, they would remain in the dark.

"And you wish to walk the path of carnage also?"

Hei scoffed. "I've walked that path since the day someone called me the Black Reaper." he answered. "Killing someone is nothing new for me."

"Like I said," Suo reaffirmed. "Wherever Hei is, I follow." Her face softened, holding her rifle tightly. "He's...important to me."

"I see..." Najenda nodded. "Very well then. Hei, Suo. Welcome to the path of carnage once more."

When the action starts, we'll be kicking it into high gear. Hopefully by then things get interesting.

Suo smiled faintly while Hei nodded. The other members were pleased, since their numbers had significantly expanded.

Naturally, though, Mine doubted their abilities.

Aside from Leone's testimony, she hasn't seen either of them in action. Not that she didn't trust her comrade, she just has difficulty believing what she hasn't seen for herself. Hei's demonstration had shown potential, as had Suo's, but that was just it. Potential. For all she knew, it could very easily be wasted.

Before she could debate any further, Lubbock made an announcement. "We got company. A group of people just tripped my wires."

Immediately, everyone tensed. "How many?" Najenda asked.

"A good few." the green-haired man answered with a small smirk. "Judging by the number, I'd say they just stumbled on this place. Probably bandits."

"What's the plan, Boss?" Leone asked. "Send 'em packing?"

Najenda mulled it over, thinking on the answer before opening an eye. "If any of them discover this place, we'd risk quite a bit." she said. "Eliminate them. Lubbock, coordinate with Sheele. Leone and Mine, you two handle any stragglers who try and make a break for it. Bulat, take Tatsumi. Best show the boy the ropes." The burly man grinned, enjoying the prospect of showing his junior how things were done. Tatsumi, for his part, was a bit creeped out, recalling his meeting with the man. "Akame, Hei, scatter the main group and have them spread out. Suo, if any come close to the base, I expect you use that rifle of yours well."

The two Contractors nodded, understanding their roles.

The leader smirked. "Now then...let's show them the might of Night Raid, shall we?"

 **XxXxX Kill the DARKNESS - The Black Reaper XxXxX**

The aforementioned groups spread out, heading out to their specified positions. Lubbock and Sheele headed off to the Southwest of the base, the former laying traps to snatch his prey. Leone and Mine, along with Suo, remained near the base given that they were tasked with eliminating anyone who got away from the conflict or got too close to the base. Tatsumi and Bulat went off in another direction, no doubt heading to where their current foe would be waiting for them.

That, of course, left Hei and Akame. The former had put on his mask, thus hiding his face while Akamen had worn the same black coat she wore the other day. In hand was Murasame, clutched tightly in hand within its scabbard.

"I count thirty targets." she said, looking at the targets. True to Lubbock's guess, their attire was too worn and casual to be soldiers. "Forty to fifty at best. If this was the Empire, there would be more."

"And better equipped." Hei added. "What's the plan? If we eliminate a few of them, along with the leader, we'll scatter them evenly. Alternatively, we can attack them from a distance and lure them in."

The red-eyed assassin looked at him curiously. "How would you accomplish that?"

He whipped out his knife, along with revealing his steel wires.

"I can launch a preemptive attack and scatter them. Following that, we can move in and eliminate the stragglers." He answered simply.

"Got it." She focused on the task at hand once more. Hei raised his knife and threw it with incredible precision. The blade shot forward and embedded itself in the lead bandit's forehead.

It had the intended affect. The bandits recoiled and jumped away from their comrade as he fell to the ground. Spooked, they looked around wearily and unsheathed their weapons. Hei scanned them, looking for the leader. The first target was meant to alert them. The second would force them to scatter. He then found his target. "In the back, armed with a katana and a bow on his back. He's the leader."

"Roger."

Then, without a sound nor with a warning, Akame leaped out from the shadows. The bandits barely had time to see her, a black phantom that came at them so swiftly that they barely registered her red eyes, before a gleam of silver came along with her person and slashed at the leader. His side ran red. Akame slid to a stop behind him, Murasame drawn. It took only a second before the leader realized he had been cut and soon found himself gasping, clutching his throat and falling to his knees. The others watched in horror as black markings slid unto his skin, his face crazed and pained before the light faded from his eyes.

He ceased to breathe.

Akame stared at the bandits, red eyes locked unto them like a hawk before muttering a single word:

"Eliminate."

The bandits were thrown into a terrified frenzy. About half of them charged in in a vain attempt to kill her while the other half fled.

Then it was Hei's turn to step in.

Flinging a second knife attached to a cable from his sleeve, swung in and coiled the wire around the retreating group.

His body was outlined in blue, and the electricity danced. In seconds, those caught in his wires were crying and spasming as they were electrocuted before the discharge made their hearts fail and they were left to fall in the ground. Akame faced the group head on. A few had gotten in front of her and tried to cut her down, but she evaded them with ease and cut two of them. The cut was shallow, but that was all she needed. She didn't stop and continued to move forward. Her movements were swift, precise and sharp. When she emerged from the other side, a fourth of the remaining bandits dropped dead.

They looked at her, and then the corpses of their allies. It was then they understood just how dangerous this woman was. Thus, they did the sensible thing.

They fled.

Neither Akame nor Hei gave chase. Instead, they watched them flee with their lives, unknowingly walking into a death trap. Akame sheathed her sword. "First phase is complete." she said, heading back to the forest. "I'll hunt down anyone who strays away from the path."

"Right." Hei said, turning on his heel. Just as he did so, however, he caught sight of something out of the corner of his eye. His eyes widened beneath his mask.

Akame noticed his pause and looked at him curiously. "Is something wrong?"

"...no." he said. "It's nothing." Akame looked unconvinced, but she had no time to worry. She had her teammates to find. With that in mind, she took off, thus leaving Hei to himself.

Had Akame waited, she would have found him taking off his mask, revealing tears in his eyes as he looked at the sight before him.

There, standing in the middle of the riverstream flowing by the bank-

"Yi...Yin?"

-was a greenish blue humanoid Specter.

There was no mistaking it. A Specter in a body of water. Only Yin had that ability. Hei recognized it all too well. Did this mean...that Yin is...?

He blinked and rubbed his eyes, checking to see if it wasn't a trick of the light. Much to his relief, it wasn't.

"Yin?" he found himself asking. "Is-is that really you?"

The Specter bobbed its head. He felt his world stop right there. It was her...it was really her! There were no words that could describe the relief and joy in his heart.

However, that also brought on a great worry. One that froze that joy.

If Yin was here...did that mean...she was also here?

"Yin." Hei spoke, his voice filled with dread. "Is...she here too?"

Yin's Specter paused, as if thinking. Then it shook its head. Hei brearhed a sigh of relief. It was only Yin.

Izanami was not here.

"Where are you?" The Specter looked up, raising a hand and extending out a small digit. He followed it and found himself surprised. "You're...with Night Raid?"

That was...oddly convenient. Who would've thought that by joining Night Raid in hopes of searching for Yin, he literally found her not even two days after joining?

It was a stroke of luck, and also perhaps the best thing that's happened to him all week after everything that's happened. He turned back to her Specter and smiled. "When I get back...I'll find you. Okay?"

For a moment, he could have sworn he saw the Specter develop a smile on its featureless face. Then it vanished, the water rippling as it did.

 **XxXxX Kill the DARKNESS - The Black Reaper XxXxX**

"Got one."

Suo's breath was steady while she lay flat on her stomach, her anti-tank rifle in her hands. Her scope was lined up, already securing a shot. One target was straying from the designated path. It wouldn't do well to have someone running away. She closed her eyes and took a breath.

"Wind resistance: 30. Target: 78 kilometers away."

She aimed her rifle to accommodate for the previously stated factors. With wind resistance, the bullet could be diverted before it reached the target. Taking into account the distance, she had to aim a bit higher so the shot doesn't fall short.

Once she had the necessary adjustments, she pulled the trigger. The bullet shot outward, and after a few seconds, hit the target square in the head.

A decently sized hole made itself known, consuming the entire center of his face as he fell. Pulling the chamber back, the casing shot out and fell to the ground.

"One target eliminated."

 **XxXxX Kill the DARKNESS - The Black Reaper XxXxX**

"Please excuse me."

Despite the courteous apology, there was no warmth in Sheele's words as her blades cut through a few of the bandits, causing their blood to splatter all over the place.

"Wh-what the hell is she?!"

"She's a monster!"

And other comments were made by the terrified bandits. Those who were outside of Sheele's attack radius saw it fit to flee.

Not even three meters away and they became caught in a series of wires. The metal strings bound them tightly, preventing their movements. With a few swift hand movements from Lubbock, the strings tightened and sliced the thieves to pieces. Thin steel wires cut through them like rag dolls, though he was willing to argue that they were the lucky ones. Those who were ensnared in his traps were still alive, but were currently in the process of being strangled and torn apart to death.

"S-stop!" a female bandit pleaded. "I-I'm sorry! W-we won't say anything! I-I swear!"

Lubbock gave a bitter smile. "Sorry, lady." he apologized in advance, squeezing his fingers. "But I know women well enough to know that you shouldn't take them at face value." Six seconds. That was all it took for the woman and her compatriots to die, squeezed to death as their bones shattered and their necks snapping. He then gave a sigh as his lines went slack, dropping the bodies to the ground. "For what it's worth, I hate killing girls."

 **XxXxX Kill the DARKNESS - The Black Reaper XxXxX**

Leone smirked dangerously as she kicked the bandit away, breaking his ribs with ease and throwing him into a wall where his spine snapped. Two came up from behind her, blades raised but they were too slow. Her clawed hands grabbed her before they had a chance to swing their blades at her. "Sorry, boys." Leone said as she squeezed down on their heads. "But you can't handle this much woman."

Their heads caved in like a hammer coming down on a watermelon. Blood and brain matter stained her hands.

"Well, that's that..." Leone dusted off her hands. While beating people up was fun and all...these weaklings were pretty boring.

She looked over to Mine's side. She ducked underneath a swing of a blade, crouching in mid-roll before aiming Pumpkin and firing a shot, creating a thin hole starting from the jaw all the way to the top of the skull. The bandit fell unceremoniously to the ground. From behind, two bandits tried to flee. Without turning around, she took aim and fired two shots, each piercing their hearts.

"Not even in a pinch." the pink-haired sniper of Night Raid commented, standing up.

As of now, they had finished eliminating all enemies within their sector. "That was hardly any fun." Leone remarked, somewhat disappointed. "Couldn't they have put up more of a fight?"

"What would you expect? These guys were just common bandits without any form of training. I'm surprised they haven't been killed off before."

 **6h agoXxXxX Kill the DARKNESS - The Black Reaper XxXxX**

"Die, maggot!"

Tatsumi gritted his teeth as he parried a strike, retaliating with a kick and knocking the bandit back. Another came up from behind, blocking them with his sheathe. Pushing the blade aside, he struck and slashed them straight through the torso, creating a deep red gash, blood pouring out before they fell to the ground. In retaliation one bandit came at him with their scimitar. Flipping his sword around into his other hand, Tatsumi parried and cut at their eyes, causing them to cry out in pain and clutch their face. Another came at him in the confusion, using a spear.

Using his training from his hunts and spars with Ieyasu and Sayo, the brunette jumped and bounced off the spear before spinning his body around, creating a spinning slash that carved straight through the bastard with ease.

The man gurgled as blood gushed from his throat. He then dropped dead to the forest floor. The brunette spun around and blocked an incoming axe swing.

Using his sheathe, he swung at their knee, causing them to crumble and crying in pain. They didn't even see the sword coming and slicing off their head. Blood splurted onto his face and his vest.

Yet, somehow, it didn't bother him. Not even the exposed muscle, bone and flesh that made up the insides of his neck bothered him. There was no sign of him barfing or his stomach churning in revolt. Considering that his first kill was not too long ago, he should've felt some form of revulsion or regret. Yet he felt nothing. There was no revulsion. No sickening nausea from the act. Instead, the image of Aria, dead at his feet with a deep cut seered into her flesh, was fresh in his mind. The image plastered before him in a different way.

Now Aria was without her head, severed clean from her shoulders.

A cry came from behind. On instinct and killing intent, he spun around. Silver danced with him, knocking a sword away before he gripped his with both hands and thrusted. The blade sunk deep into their chest, but Tatsumi didn't stop. He pushed and pressed him against the tree, driving the blade in further and twisting it for good measure. More blood spills on him.

Aria is dead for a third time. There's a sword stuck in her chest, blood falling from her mouth and her eyes glassy.

And yet the burning anger in Tatsumi's heart doesn't fade in the least.

He wanted more. He wanted to kill that bitch again and again and again. While he was grateful for Hei killing her in the worst way imaginable...he had wanted to off the girl himself.

He pulled the sword out of the corpse, the bandit falling to the ground. She didn't get back up. Slowly, he turned to find Aria looking back at him in horror, a knife in her hand shaking. She takes a step back.

All Tatsumi sees is red. That one step pushed him to the brink. Ieyasu and Sayo came to mind, and before he knew it, his feet were already moving along with his arm.

It came so suddenly that the brunette didn't realize it at first. The blade slashed straight through her, leaving two halves. One half was her head and arm and half of her torso. The other half had her arm and legs. Blood spilled together with guts and innards as they clambered to the ground, staining the grass red.

He swung his arm to rid the blood from his weapon. Then he scanned the area. All around him lay pieces of Aria. Dead with expressions of terror etched on their faces.

But it wasn't enough.

His hand started to shake. The innocent smile the blonde noble girl had was replaced with one of disgust, scorn and madness. A face that would be splattered with blood and horror once a sword touched her.

A heavy footfall entered within earshot. Immediately, his body moved, sword in mid-swing.

It did not strike flesh. Instead, it was caught.

"Easy there, new guy! Don't get wrapped up on blood lust."

The brunette blinked. He looked up. Aria's face was replaced with an armored figure. A familiar one.

"A-Aniki...?"

"You okay there?" Bulat, clad in his Teigu Incursio, asked.

"I...I..." He didn't know what to saw. He was just about to move to cut down his new comrade. Even though he caught the attack with ease, he still would've continued. If he hadn't stopped him, then...

He shook his head, taking deep breaths. Slowly, he nodded. "Good." Bulat smiled beneath Incursio's helm. "To be honest, you kind of terrified me a little." He then looked at the bandits and whistled. "Not bad. Looks like you'll fit in after all."

"What about the others?" Tatsumi asked. "Are the bandits all...?"

"Dead." Bulat answered. "The others eliminated the rest of them. We're done here."

Tatsumi nodded, sheathing his sword.

It was over. The attack has ended.

 **XxXxX Kill the DARKNESS - The Black Reaper XxXxX**

"Well done." Najenda praised the group once they returned. "I've received the reports. Good work, all of you. Especially you, Tatsumi. Bulat gave me the gist." Her eye narrowed somewhat. "However, we'll need to work on your bloodlust somewhat."

The brunette nodded. "Y-yes, ma'am."

He understood what she was referring to. During his bloodlust, he was in a tunnel vision-like state, where his sole focus was to cut down Aria over and over and over again. Doing so would've left him an easy target to those of greater ability than him. There were advantages, of course. He was focused and efficient. The bodies of the bandits were proof of this. But, such focus could also lead to his downfall if he wasn't careful. Like with what happened with Bulat before, he may end up going overboard and even cut down innocent people. He didn't want that. Especially not when he decided to change things for the better by throwing his lot in with assassins, despite knowing the risks.

"Were there any stragglers left behind?" Mine asked.

Najenda smirked. "No. Anyone who tried to escape was gunned down by Suo." The red-haired sniper gave a small smile, happy that she was being useful. "And fine work. A shame we don't have rifles of that caliber. Would make shooting down armored wyverns a hell of a lot easier."

"Got that right." Lubbock muttered under his breath. He had a rather bad experience with those monsters in the past. An experience he would rather not like to relive if possible. "Do we leave the base for a while, just to be sure, though? For all we know, they could have been a scouting party for the Empire."

"We checked the bodies." Hei said, looking at the green-haired assassin. "Their equipment was too rugged and low-grade to be even remotely associated with the Empire. Not only that, but their clothes suggested they've been moving around for a while now. They probably found this place by pure luck."

"Additionally," Akame added. "There have been reports of small villages and nobles being attacked by a group matching their description. Not connected to the Empire."

"I see. So they were nothing more than normal bandits." Najenda stated.

"Yes. That seems to be the case."

Sheele sighed in relief. "Thank goodness. At least now we won't have to worry about moving!"

"You only say that because we've got too much stuff as it is." Mine sweatdropped before shaking her head, face becoming more serious. "By the way, Boss..."

Najenda sighed. "If this is about the girl, Mine, you've already made your protests clear. However, she has shown no signs of being hostile whatsoever. Unless she proves to be a danger otherwise, we will not eliminate her."

Tatsumi tilted his head, raising a hand. "Um, sorry. Who are you guys talking about?"

"We're talking abou-"

"...Hei."

A new voice cut into the conversation. It was unfamiliar to Tatsumi, but recognized by the others, especially Hei. His eyes widened to the point they could fall out of his skull, much to the surprise of the others. They never expected such a reaction based on his stoic expression.

He slowly turned his head, eventually coming face to face with Yin.

Suo stared in confusion, feeling a headache coming on. The girl seemed familiar, but for the life of her, she didn't know why.

The others, minus Tatsumi, were surprised to see her about. Especially Mine, who had been talking about her just now. "Yin, what are you doing here?" Bulat questioned in curiosity. "I thought you were taking a nap."

"...was." Yin confessed, purple eyes staring at Hei. "Then I found Hei."

Sheele tilted her head. "Do you two know each other?"

Hei didn't answer. Then he did an action that a Contractor such as himself would not understand nor comprehend. An action that was not rational as it went against their norms.

He walked over, kneeled down, and wrapped his arms around her, pulling her into a tight hug. All the while biting his lip to prevent tears from falling from his face. Yin melded into the hug, bringing her arms up and wrapping them around Hei's form.

"...eh?" Mine blinked. Her brain short-circuited. Then it rebooted and it registered. In the next, Tatsumi had his hands over his ears. "EEH?!" What the hell was going on here?! Why was one of the new guys hugging the strange girl?!

Tatsumi tapped his ears, wondering if they were still working after the shout. He then looked back at Yin and Hei, curious as to what their relationship was. Then he remembered what he said, how he had lost two people close to him.

Was Yin one of those people?

Unperturbed and uncaring of the audience, Hei held unto Yin tightly. His mind raced back to when he ran with her: away from the Syndicate and left it to fall apart. To being hunted by Contractors over and over again. And then learning how Yin was slowly developing some kind of new personality, one with powers that could force Contractors to kill each other and then seemingly end their lives. All the while being apart of a Specter.

It was like a nightmare. Hei had resolved himself to killing Yin, but in the end he failed to do so. At the end he forced himself to do so, but Hell's Gate had a surprise in store for him.

And now, here she was. Not Izanami, the woman who could bring an end to the world...

...but Yin. The one last precious person in his shitty life.

"It's good to see you again." he muttered, just loud enough for her to hear. "I missed you."

For a moment, Yin showed hints of a smile, but seemed unable to. When they parted, she used a finger and pushed up a corner of her mouth, giving off the impression that she was smiling.

"...missed you too."

Chapter END


End file.
